WITNESS: A FABULOUS LIFE
by blankstare1245
Summary: This starts off with Lily and James' sixth year at Hogwarts...what new scandals arise during the course of the year? It's sure to be wicked...can you hear the sound of whispers?
1. Exclusive

A/N- Hello everyone! I'm back with a new Lily and James story that I simply must express. This is entirely different from the other one, and only has Alex from my old fanfics about them. I just can't get enough of them and I would definitely keep writing until my brain runs out of new ideas!

Discalimer: I do not own anything, all characters and all other related Potter stuff are J.K. Rowling's, and the only thing I own is Alex.

--

Lily Evans emerged form the steam that the Hogwarts Express exhaled. Her mane of shoulder length red hair was tied into a sleek ponytail on top of her head, giving her that stylish retro look that the other girls tried to copy. Although she was wearing a modest set of jeans, a faded gray shirt and a cashmere coat wrapped around her, it made her look somewhat more elaborate, because of her striking face standing out of the simple attire, and her bottlegreen eyes.

Her face lit up into a pleasant smile as she spotted her best friend, Alexandra Hernandez, who looked absolutely breathtaking in her all Valentino ensemble, containing an impeccable white dress, a white quarter length knit jacket and her silk white ballet flats. Her olive-skinned face glowed with her natural tanness that was there all year round, and her strong jaw was more defined than ever.

"Alex!" Lily squealed in delight as she clung to her best friend by the arm. "I've missed you! Petunia has been a wretch these past few weeks."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you should move into my place?" Alex questioned, narrowing her already chinky eyes.

"Which house? You have lots of them."

"Ha-ha, someone thinks she's funny, doesn't she?"

"Anyway..."

They linked their arms together and looked around the train for an empty compartment. There was one near the front, and the ladies hoisted up their trunks into the compartment which was placed above their heads.

"Don't you have Prefect stuff?" Alex asked, looking out of the window distractedly. "So that I'll find someone to hang out with while you be boring."

"Thanks a lot," Lily giggled. Alex simply could not get used to Lily's steady pace of life. Alex enjoyed spur of the moment happenings, which were usually mental if Alex was involved.

Lily drifted off to the direction of the Prefects Compartment while Alex got out and peeked through the glass to find anyone worth accompanying.

The meeting was already starting when she got there.

"Evans!" said Hugh Pellywerry, the Head Boy. "So glad of you to join us. We were just discussing the plans and arrangements of the patrols around school."

He grinned at her rather suggestively, even though Lily could not find anything provocative in what he just said. She smiled back in reply and took a seat near Remus Lupin, who she got along with extremely well, even if he did have idiots for friends.

--

On the other side of the train, where things weren't this dull, James Potter and Sirius Black were pouring buckets of water in the aisles and then freezing it so that when anyone in that back half of the train stepped foot on it, they would be unfortunately forced to fall on their bum and slide toward the end of the train in a crash.

"Let's see..." James said, rubbing his hands together and squinted from where they stood. "Shall we try it on our first victim?"

"I think I see someone coming," Sirius grinned and leaned back on the compartment door.

Just then, Alex Hernandez's beautiful face appeared ahead of them, and the three Marauders stiffened their backs. They were going to be in a hell of a lot of hell for this one.

They couldn't stop her in the pace that she was going and they all braced themselves for what was about to happpen. And she was even wearing really expensive looking clothes.

She hit the ice pretty smoothly, considering. Once she stepped foot on it, her face contorted into something that looked like surprise and eagerness, and then she got the hang of it and graced her foot one after the other in awesome speed. She was a bit of a blur, and when she stopped, she just screeched to a halt in front of them and pointed her left toe to the floor.

The three boys rattled in applause.

"Thank you, thank you," she smiled, lifting her hand and giving small bows. "And thank you for that. That was the most eventful thing that happened to me today so far."

"A pleasure," Sirius grinned widely, taking one of her hands and brushing his lips on the smooth surface.

"Let's watch the other people fall flat on their arses!" she trilled back and seated helrself on the floor and waited with the boys.

An hour was enough for them to witness many attempts to not fall. Plenty waved and waggled their arms around before falling and many fling out their extremities in all directions and screaming and falling flat on their face. It was way funny.

"I love people," Alex exhaled later, slouching onto one of the seats. "They're just too entertaining."

"I second that nomination!" James cheered, clapping her on the back, like she was one of the boys. This certainly indicates how he feels about her.

"Lily is so lame, missing out on the fun and doing Prefect duties," Alex joked, smiling at herself.

James face heated up at the name of Lily. It was sixth year. Couldn't he still get over her?

Apparantly not.

"Do you want Lily, James?" she said, noticing the faint red circles that were in James' cheeks.

"Yeah, you could say that..."James went on cautiously. "Why?"

"Because I really think that you're the only one worthy for her in this school." she smiled, raising one brow as if to say 'don't you think?'.

"And how can you be of assistance?" James asked in a professional and confidential tone. "Dearest Alexandra?"

"Sucking up will get you nowhere," she stated. "No, wait. It does for you guys, now that I think about it."

"True," Sirius smirked.

Alex ignored that and turned back to James, saying, "I am at your command regarding ways to woo Lily."

"You're setting me up?" James asked, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Why just now? Why not two years ago?"

"Because I am in a very generous mood today and I am really grateful that you don't mind me being hanging out for awhile."

James grinned. "All I need you to do is tell me what a brilliant guy I am."

Alex replied with a blank stare. "That's it? No 'I will always love you' rubbish? No roses or lilies? No chocolates and trinkets?"

"Lily isn't a materialistic kind of girl," James said confidently, brushing off nonexistent wrinkles from his shirt.

"If you say so then..."she grumbled back and slid the compartment door open.

"Where are you going?" said Sirius with a sad face that would've made anyone but Alex's heart melt with warmth.

"Back to my compartment?" Alex replied in confusion, and jerked her thumb behind her back.

"That kind of hurts when you get one unawares," a voice said behind her. She realized that her thumb ached from jerking it at someone.

Alex turned around and there stood a handsome young man of seventeen, with gold streaked brown hair and mellow brown eyes, looking at her with an intensity that made her want to look away.

"It wouldn't happen if you don't sneak up behind people unawares," she retorted, smiling slyly.

"I wasn't sneaking Hernandez, I was walking to this compartment specifically," he snarled back.

"Then what is your business around here?" she felt a thrill down her spine as she said it.

"To do this."

And his arms went around her and in a moment, he planted a sweet kiss on her glossed, vanilla-flavored lips.

"Ah Lalic," she crooned, snuggling tighter in his arms. "I love it when you do that."

"May I steal her for awhile?" Lalic Addison asked the Marauders out of politeness.

James grinned. "Sure, she's your girlfriend."

Sirius remained in surly silence.

What's got his boxers in a twist? Alex asked herself as she was steered of by Lalic back into her compartment.

--

When Lily got back to her compartment, she found Alex being pulled onto Lalic's lap. Lily rolled her eyes. Lalic was so crazy about Alex and yet, Alex was oblivious to it all, just treating him like any other guy...just with kisses and make out sessions.

"Hey Lily!" she laughed once she spotted her at the door, and got out of a disappointed Lalic's lap. "How was the snorefest?"

"Pretty much a snorefest, I'd say," Lily laughed too. She couldn't help it, Alex was too contagious.

"I'll see you girls later," Lalic muttered and gave a quick kiss to Alex, who did not react in the slightest.

"Wanna set fire to someone'e robes?" said Alex with a manic glint in her eye.

"What got into your head today?" Lily pretended to back away slowly. "Who were you hanging out with awhile ago?"

"James, Sirius and Peter," she trilled back. "And they're great fun really. I don't get why you won't give James a chance, he's awesome."

"Ugh. Them? That's your replacement for me? I feel insulted."

"You should try it too. They're so much fun."

"So that I'll be annoyed to death?"

"Remus will be there, and you get along with him," Alex pointed out, flicking her black hair back.

"That makes one."

"Let's just sit with them at the table," she pleaded, with her intelligent dark brown eyes.

"Fine, but if something bad happens to me, I'll blame it on you."

"I think we should get changed."

Alex was always easily distracted, going from one topic to another, it's what Lily liked so much about her. She never dwells on too many things that'll annoy you until you start flnging things around.

Lily removed her coat and started rummaging for her schoolrobes.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, when Alex started dragging down the dress off her shoulders.

"I want to change into something more casual."

"Can you please cover up the glass first? People can see us inside," Lily laughed and flicked her wand toward the glass that made it impossible to see from the outside.

When Lily just sat waiting, and Alex just zipped up her pants, the door flung open and Sirius Black appeared in the doorway. His eyes flicked into the direction of Alex, still in her purple bra and carefully looking through her silk camisoles. Instead of uttering a sorry and departing, Sirius remained frozen, his mouth hanging half open.

Lily fake-coughed. "Excuse me?" said she rudely.

"Oh yeah," said Sirius, finally coming to his senses before shutting the door behind him.

"You never freak out do you?" Lily mused, taking a black camisole and tossing it at Alex.

"What? It's the same thing as seeing me in a bikini, and it's just Sirius. He's no threat." Alex shrugged and slid into the camisole.

"Not a threat? Isn't he the biggest player in school?"

"Which means he's got lots of girls out of their clothes," Alex continued, with her perpetual smile still on her face. "My little torso reveal isn't of any significance to a guy like him."

Lily blinked and paused to think. Alex was right about that stuff. "You're right. If only I could be as calm as you when someone walks in on me getting dressed." Lily sighed.

"I adore your shoes."

And there goes the never dwelling topics again.

--

"You walked in on her getting dressed?" James said in amusement as they walked up the steps into the Hogwarts Entrance Hall.

"Yeah, it was better than asking her out," Sirius replied, smilingly.

"Good it wasn't Lily, or I'd have smacked you in the head right now."

"Yeah, like you could possibly do that."

"Want to bet on it?" James raised his fist in threat.

"Not really, just find good seats."

"Hey," Remus said, catching up behind them. "Wormtail, what are you eating?"

"Just some escargot that his mother got from France this morning," James answered before Peter could get a word out.

"Snails?"

"They're quite delicious," Sirius stated matter-of-factly.

"That's a relief then."

The four of them automatically headed toward the top of the Gryffindor table and started plotting on new tricks for the schoolyear. A redhead and a ravenhaired couple appeared at the doors of the Great Hall. The ravenhaired one spotted them and waved at them frantically before pulling her redhead friend beside her and toward that side of the table.

"Lily, Alex, so glad of you to join us," Remus said goodnaturedly.

"Alex did insist," said Lily stiffly.

"Don't be akward! We've known these guys for years!" Alex waved her arms over her head to emphasize it.

James cast Lily an apologetic smile. Lily felt a warm tingle in her stomach, seeing his cockily handsome smile. She averted her gaze just to stop looking on at James.

Before any of them could start to remark on something, the Sorting began, which made them all go quiet. This was the only time of the year when all of them would remain on their seats without uttering a word.

When "Zabini, Madelin" had proceeded toward Slytherin, Dumbledore stood up and simply said, "I know you are all hungry so, tuck in!"

These were always the awaited words of Dumbledore.

The boys tittered in glee at the enormous amount of food that lay before them and proceeded to taking one of everything from the platter.

Lily took some potatoes and chicken and nibbled on it primly. Beside her, Alex was doing the exact opposite. Like the boys, Alex was piling a dangerous tower of food on her very limited plate.

When she thought it enough to satisfy her, she immediately devoured it using her knife and fork and sliced at it fiercely before chewing it in her always closed when chewing mouth.

On the other table, a tall, pale, stickthin brunette stood up and walked to their table, behind Sirius. In her high, girly voice, she squealed, "Sirius! I have missed you this summer. Letters were not enough to describe how much I missed you!"

"Hello Connie," Sirius replied, giving her a quick peck on the lips before proceeding his meal. He hadn't made eye contact whatsoever.

"Connie Collins," the girl stuck out her skinny hand to shake with Lily and Alex.

"Alex Hernandez."

"Lily Evans."

"And what is your position exactly?" said Alex curiously, watching the lovesick expression of COnnie to the bored look on Sirius' face.

"I'm Sirius' girlfriend!" said Connie like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm surprised he hasn't told you!"

Her high, loud voice was starting hurt Lily's ears. They were too...fake. Lily couldn't help but muffle a laugh at the girl's flat chest. She looked like she was about to be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Lily turned to her right and laughed as she observed Alex oggling Connie's rather handsome but huge nose. She saw Alex press her hand to her own upturned nose with great satisfaction.

After a few more high-pitched conversations later, Connie trotted back to her own table.

"Lovely girl," Alex said, sarcasm, evident in her voice.

"Completely," Lily agreed, smiling.

James glanced at Sirius. "She was preferable when she was still acting so mysterious for Sirius."

"Now, she's a pain in the ears...and the eyes," Sirius thought.

"Eyes?" Lily mused.

"She wears bright pink dresses to our dates and wears a load of diamond on her neck to emphasize her chest."

"What are the diamonds for then, when she doesn't have a chest to speak of?" Alex said seriously.

A smile creeped up on their faces one by one and slowly leveled up to maniacal laughter.

"Why don't you just break up with her?" Peter asked earnestly.

"You think I haven't thought of that?"

"Er--no. Why not then?"

"As much as a pain that she is, I have to remain steady with one girl for at least five months. Remember the bet?"

"Oh right," Peter realized something.

"Next month, I'll be back in the game," said Sirius, looking a lot happier than a while ago.

James risked one look at Lily, who was chatting once again with Alex, obviously no longer interested than the subject Connie. Who was, after a few minutes?  
She was too beautiful, it was almost unbearable for one guy to handle. After years and years of tireless longing, James actually thought that he was in love with Evans, although he never voiced it.

Lily's pretty green eyes flashed in his direction and he quickly avoided it.

Later in the common room, the six of them sat in comfortable positions on the couches or on the floor.

Out of nowhere, a shrill voice said, "Sirius Black, you are going to pay!"

A/N-Okay, I need reviews and fast. I need ideas and opinions, and I have no idea what to do next. Reviews...xoxo's.


	2. Brilliant

A/N- Pleasant greetngs lovelies! Reviews!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

--

Mary Macdonald appeared behind Sirius with a furious expression on her red face. Lily thought that it was something serious, but Mary was well-known to stalk Sirius, and so she proceeded to reading her DADA textbook.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?" Mary demanded.

Sirius looked confused. "Er-because I didn't think I was supposed to?"

"Next time, get your information straight," she continued and flung her arms around Sirius.

James stifled his laughter, and Sirius glared at him over Mary's wide shoulder.

"Bye sweetie!" she said before skipping up the stairs to the girls staircase.

"Now, I'm afraid to go up there alone," Alex put in warily as she watched the staircase.

--

James Potter woke up abruptly to the annoying sound of his alarm clock belching out the alphabet. He hit he stupid thing with his wand and blasted it to the other end of the room, and it made screams of pleasure as it soared through the room and smashed into the opposite wall.

Smug and satisfied, James shuffled out of bed and headed toward the bathroom.

He scrutinized his messy hair and askew glasses for a minute before stripping down to only his boxers and dressing himself in his uniform. He untucked his shirt untidily and didn't bother to fix his tie, which lay limp on his neck.

"Alright Prongs?" Sirius grinned from the other room, combing his thick hair into place. "You look a bit mean-tempered."

"I get a bit moody when I have to wake up in the morning."

"I know that."

"Then why ask?"

"Is this something to do with a ceratin redhead?" Sirius raised a brow.

"Possibly."

"Would you like to inform me about it?"

Sirius didn't like to say 'talk about it', since it sounded like something that a girl would say. James pondered on whether he should actually tell Sirius about his lovesick dilemmas, but it would sound a bit...lovesick.

"Not really," James finally replied.

"Good," Sirius rubbed his hands together. "If you don't have anything more to do, can we go for breakfast please?"

James headed out the door and Sirius followed. Remus and Peter silently trotted behind them. Those two never talked much in the morning, they were more of an afternoon kind of people.

At the same time, Lily and Alex were proceeding down the stairs, Lily in a yellow cashmere sweater and Alex in a deep red one. Way to show House spirit.

James automatically shifted his eyes toward the hem of Lily's skirt: it was knee-length and way modest. Sirius locked his eyes on Alex's hem and delighted in the fact that it was four inches above her knees.

Alex couldn't help it if she was too lazy to buy schoolclothes and had to use the ones that she'd been using since third year.

"Goodmorning girls!" James exclaimed, looking directly at Lily. "Care to go together?"

Alex nudged Lily on the ribs. Lily gave her a look and said, "Okay."

Unconsciously, James slinked his arm around Lily's waist, making her flinch in anger...and-although she would never admit it-pleasure.

"What are you doing?" she said angrily, jerking his arm away.

"I wasn't doing anything," James protested, only now aware of what he did. And he felt a tinge annoyed.

"Stop feeling me up!"

"I was just trying to be friendly. If you don't want my company, then I won't give it anymore."

He stomped off in the direction of the Portrait Hole and his mates followed him out, looking bewildered at his outburst. It shut with a slam.

"Nice," Alex commented sarcastically. "You just couldn't have cut him some slack, could you?"

"He wrapped his arm around me!" Lily protested, a bit mollified at how dumb she sounded.

"Let's just go get breakfast."

--

Later, during their first subject of the day, which was Potions, and overenthusiastic Slughorn tried brightening up the obvious tension in the room.

It wasn't the Gryffindor-Slytherin tension, but the James-Lily tension. The James, Sirius, Remus, Lily and Alex were the only sixth year Gryffindors that passed the Potions N.E.W.T. classes. And the two Slytherins watched with ease as Lily and James retorted snide remarks at each other, while the three Ravenclaws looked on boredly, and the only Hufflepuff watched longingly.

"What is it between you two?" Slughorn finally gave up when Lily gave a particularly bad comment about James' inadequate person.

"She started it-"

"I did not-!"

"She's so naggy-"

"Like you aren't-"

"Always such a pain-"

"Me, a pain? Why you arrogant-"

"Just be quiet for once-"

"Why don't you-?"

"ENOUGH!"

It wasn't Slughorn who shouted, but Alex, who was massaging her temples with her index fingers, looking frustrated and glared at the two of them. "Will you two just shut up and give it a rest? We're supposed to be studying..."

"Er--thank you Miss Hernandez," Slughorn shot her a grateful glance. "Moving on to our lesson..."

"We're supposed to be studying?" Sirius smirked while he looked at Alex in amusement. "Since when had you given a damn about studying?"

"Since it seemed like the perfect excuse at this moment," she whispered irritably back and turned her back on him, facing Lily.

"What's your problem today?" Lily questioned, poking her wand at her dead beetles.

"Nothing," Alex mumbled back.

"There's always nothing with you. You can tell me..."

"What's it to you?" Alex replied goodnaturedly, but with a flick of anoyance on her pretty face.

"Umm..." Lily put an index finger to her chin, pretending to think. "Maybe because I'm your best friend!"

"I don't really want to talk about it." Alex crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Fine," Lily replied cooly, knowing that she'd find out in a few seconds anyway.

3..2..1..

"Fine," Alex whispered, bending her head toward Lily and speaking in a low voice. "I walked in on Sirius undressing a girl, and himself, before breakfast this morning."

"We were together this morning!" Lily whispered back. "And we met Sirius in the common room."

"I got up early and then I realized that I'd do good to walk around for while. I heard some thumping noises in a broom cupboard and I thought that it was some giant rat, and I opened it to kill it and found that scene instead."

"Got up early just to get with a girl?" Lily's laugh was muted. "He really is getting bored."

"I'm betting that he didn't get any sleep," Alex grimaced.

"Who was the girl?" Lily glanced at Sirius in awe, wondering at how fickle his self-control was. "Anyone I know?"

"Gwendelyn Harper."

"That sweet girl?" Lily stared at her best friend disbelievingly. Gwendelyn was a cute, petite blond girl with innocent light blue eyes, her hair was always tied in pigtails and always shared the homemade cookies that she got from home. And she was just fourteen. "Looks like she isn't so pure now," she scowled at Sirius.

"We can't judge him," Alex shrugged, although looking downright pissed. "What bugs me is that he cheated, and I detest cheaters. "I don't give a damn on his bet. I'm telling Connie, whether I like her or not."

"Isn't it 'whether she likes it or not?' " Lily smiled. She really liked Alexisms.

"No..."

"Fine, do whatever you want, but with a girl like her, I don't think she'll want to believe you."

"I have ways to force people to see the truth!"

--

And the truth was heard--by the whole Great Hall later that lunch.

"Listen to me!!" Alex screamed in frustration, after three times of telling Connie in a low voice. "He is cheating on you! Why would I lie to you anyway? I just met you last night!"

"You might be saying that so that you can get your little claws on Sirius!" Connie shouted back, her face getting red plotches after the heat rose to her face.

For the first time in her life, Alex stayed silent. Lily looked at her in concern. After a few moment, Alex laughed loudly. "Me? Like Sirius? That's the most preposterous thing that I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot of preposterous things. I'm not dumb enough to like him, only dumb people date Sirius Black!"

The girls squirmed uncomfortably in their seats.

Throughout this whole screamfest, Sirius sat rooted in his chair, staring at Alex with horror-migled eyes. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, but she was his own personal devil.

James looked at him smilingly, now that he had decent proof that Sirius lost the bet. "Cough it up."

Furious, Sirius took the ever-ready bag of silver that he had in his pocket and drained it in James' open palm. He looked over at where Alex stood, still arguing with his now soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. It was humiliating enough letting the whole school know that he cheated, but now, the whole school knew that Alex wasn't interested in him.

"Want me to ask him myself?" Alex asked in mock-politeness, stomping of to where Sirius sat. "Tell her the damn truth, Black! And don't give me any shit about 'not knowing what I'm talking about'!"

Sirius turned warily to Connie's pale face, blood draining even more as she saw the look of seriousness in his face. "She's not lying."

Absolutely, embarrassed, Connie flew out of the Great Hall in tears.

After this thing, everyone resumed their own business. This was pretty normal for them. When the Marauders were around, you'd kind of get used to it.

"Cheater," Alex hissed vehemently.

James didn't like that. "You can't talk to Padfoot like that."

"I can talk to him whatever way I want."

"You don't know him."

"He was my friend since first year."

"Was." James repeated firmly.

"Doesn't change the fact that I know and understand him half as much as you do."

"Will you please control your friend?" James shot at Lily icily.

"She can do whatever she pleases," Lily remarked in an equally cold tone.

"Girls..."

"Boys..."

They rolled their eyes at the same time and sat opposite to each other, glaring from opposite sides of the table.

"Ouch!" James yelled, grabbing at his right foot.

"Sorry," Lily said innocently. "I thought it was a giant rat."

James shook his head angrily and got up and pushed the table away from him. He purposely walked toward the Ravenclaw table, to a ravenhaired girl with dull brown eyes.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked carelessly. "Eli?"

The Eli girl turned around and locked her brown eyes on James' hazel ones and smiled. "Of course James."

"Thank you."

Without another word, James headed back toward the table, next to Sirius, who thumped him on the back in admiration. "Elian Gravinch! Nice eye Prongs!"

"Thanks, I've liked her for some time now."

"Ah Eli...I've had good times with her," Sirius looked up at the ceiling, reminiscing. "Good times."

"Third year?"

"The very same year that I fell in love."

"With who exactly?" James inquired brotherly. Sirius never said that he'd been in love...ever.

"A certain girl that I am very close to getting annoyed with," Sirius grumbled loudly, looking longingly at Alex, who had her head bent to Lily, both talking in loew voices, looking like they have forgotten that other people were around them.

"Oh, her. What was all that about anyway?"

Sirius looked at him in surprise. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"I was secretely dating Gwendelyn Harper."

"You wouldn't tell me that, you would have lost the bet," James reminded him. "Gwendelyn? I think that's a bit...sick, even for you."

"What? She looked like those girls that you just wanted to crack, right?"

"Doesn't change how I feel about it," James replied fervently, looking over at the Hufflepuff table, scanning for the blond pigtails that would undoubtedly belong to Gwendelyn's. He spotted her, sitting with her friends and looking unnaturally still and fragile. Once in a while, her light eyes would drift to Sirius' relaxed form, and would look back down at her untouched plate of food again.

"I think we should set aside rules for which girls to date," James' said seriously.

"Like walking up to a completely random girl and asking her out because I wanted to vent my feelings?" Sirius grinned, tilting his head toward the direction of Eli.

"It's not like you don't do it," James easily retorted.

--

"I think I'm falling in love with vampires," Alex announced to Lily. She was recently reading 'Behind the Vicious Fangs: A Vampire Memoir'. "They're so dark and mysterious and...sexy."

Though Alex was talking in her normal voice, it was audible throughout the whole common room. The boys watched her and their eyes lit up with ideas.

Lily shook her head and laughed at her dazed friend. "You might not be in love when the vampire is at your throat and biting into your skin."

"That's what makes them sexier! They're so troubled, and they didn't even choose that kind of life. It just happened to them. And imagine only dying after a few thousand years! They must be really lonely..."

Lily though about the lonely vampires and their sharp teeth. No thanks, Lily wasn't a masochist.

"I wish Hogwarts would teach vampires in school," she continued, her eyes looking out the window, like some pale human would just burst inside and declare that he was a vampire and would come to take Alex as his bride.

"You're in love with Lalic remember?" Lily reminded her, bringing Alex back to reality.

"If only Lalic could have been a vampire, then he would be perfect!"

That wasn't Lily's idea of a perfect boyfriend at all. "Don't you think he'll stop paying attention to you when all he would want is human blood?"

"Silly. Lalic's too human for that."

Lily rolled her eyes. She couldn't get her friend sometimes.

"Hey, what did you make of James asking out Eli earlier?" she asked out of the blue.

Alex emerged from her reverie and turned to stare at Lily. "That little thing? You shouldn't be jealous of that."

Lily's cheeks turned intot the shade of her hair. "I'm not jealous."

Alex's carefree eyes just looked on. "After years of knowing you, you can't lie to me."

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Because you like him." It wasn't a question. It was an assumption.

"And how would you know that?"

"Because I had to put a Silencing charm on you last night because you kept mumbling 'James, James, James' over and over."

Liyl's cheeks turned even redder. "Did anyone else hear?"

"Everyone else was asleep and I cast it just after a few seconds of laughing at you."

Lily buried her head into her arms and groaned, unaware that there were a few boys who wanted to stroke her dark red hair in comfort.

"It wasn't that bad," Alex crooned, patting Lily lightly on the shoulder and returning to her vampire book.

"Weren't you going to meet up with your boyfriend?" said Lily. She was often the walking planner of her best friend, who easily forgot things. "Or did you cancel that to be with your vampire boyfriend?"

Alex sweared. "I completely forgot!"

With that, Alex jumped up to her feet and ran out the common room, leaving an amused Lily all alone.

After a few minutes of not being able to handle being alone, Lily closed her Arithmancy textbook and decided for a quick walk around the grounds. A bit of fresh air would do her a lot of good. The Arithmancer, Bridget Wenlock was a bit too advanced, even for her.

--

A/N-okay, I decided that this chapter was getting a bit longer than I expected, and I shall continue Lily's stroll next time. Until then, please review and xoxo's.


	3. Planning

A/N-Thank you to those who have reviewed. I've been trying to make lots and lots of chapters while it's the weekend. Sadly, here, it's not summer and I do not have the pleasure of having to sip on cool glasses of lemonade and nibbling on sushi while making stories. Make me reviews to make me happy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

--

In a few minutes, Lily was able to stride down to the Black Lake with perfect ease. She always felt peaceful here, even with the occasional disturbing tentacle that the Giant Squid would show off.

"I'm really happy you asked me out..." a girl's voice mumbled.

Lily quickly hid behind the large tree that was near the lake. She peeked and saw James and Eli strolling, arm in arm toward the edge of the lake. Lily felt a twinge of dislike toward Eli, all of a sudden.

"So am I," James voice drifted to where Lily sat, sitting down and leaning on the tree, concealed so that she couldn't be seen, but had a view of the couple.

"I thought that you were crazy about Lily Evans," Lily saw Eli's eyes roll. "It's well-known, to be honest."

James brows knit together. "It's that obvious? I thought that I hid it very well, considering I just gave her a dozen bouquets of roses last Valentine's"

Silence.

"I was joking."

"Of course you were," Eli mumbled audibly. "Leave it to me to be the rebound."

"You're not a rebound," James said uncomfortably and earnestly. "It was just...less shown off, how I liked you."

"Prove it," she commanded, staring at James straight in the eye. "Prove that you like me."

"How?" James stepped back a few inches.

"Kiss me," whispered Eli, lifting her face up and piercing James with her dull eyes.

Lily would have rather been anywhere but there at that moment. She didn't want to look, but she felt the need to see it for herself. And she couldn't run into the castle at that moment, or she would have been surely caught and accused of spying on them.

"Now?"

"When else?" Eli opened her eyes.

"I don't want to take it too fast with you..."

"You're doing fine, just...do what I say," said Eli, struggling for the correct words.

James took Eli's neck. "If you think that it's all right."

For some reason, as James bent his head over Eli's, Lily's heart pounded madly and a surge of fury went through her whole body. She wanted to tear Eli's average face apart.

In supressed feelings, Lily was forced to look away and contain herself in silence. This was the James Potter who was undoubtedly in love with her, and unceasingly asked her out. She was sick at how fickle his attention was.

"See? No harm done," Eli's suddenly high-pitched, attempt-to-be-seductress tone reached her ears.

"Yeah..." James just mumbled, taking his entire being away from Eli's reach.

Lily perked up as she observed this.

"Listen, I've got to go."

"You only just got here!" Eli whined, clinging to James' arm. "Don't leave!"

"I'll just see you tomorrow all right?"

He gave her one last goodbye peck and hurried to get away from Eli.

Lily felt triumph for no reason and just showed up all of a sudden. She and James were just ten feet away from each other.

"Evans!" James stammered. "Since when did you get here?"

"Just now," Lily tried saying indifferently, successfully feigning a yawn.

"Oh. All right, I'll see you around then."

Then he hurried off into the castle without a glance back at her or Eli.

--

In a matter of minutes, even in a school as massive as Hogwarts, James was able to find Sirius with ease. He was down at the kitchens, getting food for dinner, since they weren't in the mood to be watched by the students that night.

"Fancy meeting you here," said Sirius, once he saw James emerging from the painting door. "You can help me pick out the food."

"Osselouf?" James asked quietly, and a very skinny house-elf appeared in front of him, beaming up at him with his incredibly round eyes.

"Yes, Master James?" the little elf squeaked.

"Do you mind giving us a bit of the special occasions food?" James pleaded. "Just this once."

The house-elf looked sternly at James before quipping, "This once," and rushed through the throngs of elves who were busy at work.

"What? Potatoes and roast not good enough for you?" laughed Sirius. "Or are you suddenly starting a spoiled, richkid image that I'm not aware of?"

"Food for thought," said James, as if that explained everything.

"Very detailed answer Prongs, I'm surprised that you didn't cry from bleeding your heart out."

"It's pretty obvious isn't it?"

From the look on James' aggravated face, Sirius did get it. "C'mon Prongs! It's just a girl. Don't kill yourself over something so shallow!"

"Is that the easiest thing that I can do?"

"You're making my life harder than it really needs to be, Prongs," Sirius sighed.

"My problems that are similar to yours?" James altered, a smirk gathering on his face.

"I don't dwell on girls the way you do."

James raised a stern eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"What?"

"Are you trying to convince me that you got over Hernandez?"

"Her? I have no time for girls anymore."

"Since when?" James smirked.

"Since this school is actually turning into an academic ambiance! Have you realized that there had not been a catastrophe happening in the past twenty-four hours?" Sirius looked seriously frustrated. "We are losing our touch!"

"I think we lost things to do since we discovered every inch of the school already. The only thing we haven't done is turn the school into ruins."

"Isn't there some other thing?"

At that moment, the painting door swung open again and revealed Alex Hernandez and Lalic Addison entering, with broad grins on their beautiful faces.

"You can't be serious!" Alex groaned.

"Actually," Sirius started, ecstatic at the open opportunity to annoy. "I am Sirius."

She rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Black. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I could ask you the same question young lady," James cut in, staring down at Alex like a strict father who watched his daughter for fear of her doing something naughty. "Choose your answer carefully, or I might send you up to your room."

"I just came here to get some food, dad," Alex replied sarcastically, weaving between Sirius and James easily. "Because Lalic and I are getting hungry."

She cut four slices of bread and inserted fat slices of cheese inside. She asked the elves to heat it up for her, and within a few uncomfortable minutes for the guys, the elf came back with two grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Can I have permission to leave now?"

"Just behave yourself, young lady," James continued his father charade.

"And you don't do anything funny," Sirius interjected to Lalic, wanting to play too. "I know where you live. One funny move and-" he ran his index finger through his neck sharply. "Got it?"

"Yes," Alex and Lalic chanted together, and then quickly left.

"At least we got to pass time," voiced James, turning to Sirius. "That was mildly entertaining."

Sirius looked back at him haughtily. He didn't mean it, he just looked that way. "There's something I don't like about that Addison fellow."

"And you accuse me of dwelling on a girl," James muttered companionably, stopping to throw an offered biscuit into his mouth. "You're as paranoid as any other overprotective boyfriend. Shouldn't you be protecting Gwendelyn?"

"She can fend off for herself," he replied, sitting next to James on a stool. "Believe me, she's tougher than she looks."

"Does that mean that you're really with a steady girl?" said James disbelievingly. "This may be the proudest moment of my life. Maybe the second, right after when Evans agrees to marry me. Maybe the third, next to the day when Lily and I get married-"

"I get it," Sirius raised a hand to stop him.

"We should do something to look forward to the weekend," suggested James. "Maybe some start of the year Gryffindor party or something."

"That'll be easy. Leave it to me." Sirius quickly replied. "Common room? Everyone invited? Or just fifth years to seventh years, so that we can bring in liquor?"

"Definitely fifth years and up," James nodded. " 10 PM onwards, then. Shall we keep the portrait hole open and invite other Houses?"

"The Lady will blab about it and complain about the noise," Sirius referred to the Fat Lady. "You know how she is."

"I'll take care of her, don't worry about that."

"It's all set then? 10 PM, open party, fifteen years old and above, all Houses except for Slytherin invited. And we'll just go into the Common Rooms and post it." Sirius droned boredly. They've done this before.

--

A/N-Umm...this was..just something to make your blood boil! I'm scared of the James/Lily shippers that'll be hunting me down...just wait a moment and continue reading, before you try cutting my head off. Reviews! xoxo's.


	4. Pounding

A/N-And I'm off to ranting another chapter that will undoubtedly be a product of because I had nothing else to do, and I wasn't ready to sleep at night. Reviews please...

Disclaimer: I own nothing, absolutely nothing...I just wished.

--

The news quickly spread around the school about the little soiree that the two Marauders were planning. It couldn't have been more advertised than it already was. Tuesday morning, there were brightly and creatively drawn, amusing slogans of encouragment to come, within conditions.

Wednesday afternoon, everyone started talking about it, looking uncommonly chipper as any Gryffindor passed. Thursday evening, James and Sirius were closed to being hexed by a jealous Slyterin and his gang, who wanted to go. Of course, this resulted to the Slytherins' hexes backfiring on themselves and being transformed into mumbling turkeys.

On Friday, wherever you turned, from complaining first years to excited seventh years, talk of the party could be heard.

In result, Lily would find Alex being driven crazy by all the senseless murmurings that would be heard around them.

"What's wrong with you?" Lily would always ask.

"These people!" Alex would always exclaim. "It's like they've never been to a party before! They're driving me mad!"

On cue, Lily would laugh hysterically, and her best friend would shoot her a look of vehemence.

"Admit it," Lily chided. "Even you're ecstatic. First party of the year. And you always complain at how things around here are too dull for your taste."

"I do like the idea, but I'm getting steadily annoyed when people are putting me off it because they think it's so cool."

"Oh, it's really all they're fault why you're so depressed."

"Finally! Someone who understands!"

--

The Fat Lady was slumbering quietly in her place in her Portrait. James had bewitched her to fall into that state for the rest of the night. The door stayed opened as the loud and rocker music erupted from the walls.

There was a large table set with assorted drinks, ranging from butterbeer to firewhiskey to martinis to vodka. The furniture was moved to the sides of the room, and smack in the center was an elevated glass dancefloor. There were no bright lights, only dimmed multicolored spotlights that scattered the room.

The little kids were safely tucked in their beds and Containment and Silencing Charms were cast in the room, so that no passerby or slumbering kids, could hear the loud 'whoops', drunken states or the screaming band.

It was already nearing midnight, and the less-than-clothed students danced in their semi-drunken state.

"Seems all right so far," Sirius mused by the table, as one guy flung himself into the crowd of dancers, expecting to be caught, only to receive the floor beneath him.

"How many drinks have you had?" James asked, marvelling at the sober state that Sirius was in.

"Three ketel one and tonics. Although I've never been fond of Firewhiskey, I've intaked half a bottle."

"It's very obvious at how used to this you are," James replied mellowly. He had his share of martinis. Around five or six, and he was getting a bit giddy.

"Seen anyone you like?" Sirius continued, still rationally. His posture was haughty, and his eyes weren't as bleak as those around him. One girl had resorted to flinging her arms around Sirius' neck and swaying her hips against his.

"I can't hear you," James shouted over the music, which was getting too loud for his ears. "I'll see you later."

"Don't worry about me. I'm occupied," a grin appeared on Sirius' face as he suddenly acknowledged the girl.

Wherever he turned, James found at least one couple viciously devouring each other's faces, like they had to touch their lips to every part of the other ones' face, like it was a matter of extreme importance.

Unceasingly, a female's body would grind onto him, craving for a dance and someone to touch. Within a few moments, he was surrounded by a body of girls, all shaking their asses at him.

Normally, any boy would have taken this occurence as a great blessing, but as we all know, James is no normal boy.

It took awhile to extricate himself from the arms around his waist, neck, chest and legs. The girl he was looking for wasn't been found yet. James was getting fidgety.

He spotted a familiar face, among the masses that surrounded him, and quickly squirmed to a place beside her. Alex sat on a couch by the corner, drinking vodka from a bottle, surrounded by a mass of admirers.

"Have you seen Lily?" asked James, looking over his shoulder, expecting the redhead to emerge with a gleaming smile on her face.

"Last time I saw her, she was dancing with some guy," replied Alex competently. She relpied as sober as Sirius, even though her tanned face had turned a bit red from all the drinking she had done. "Have you seen Lalic? I lost him after I ditched Lily and her new boyfriend."

James throat immediately felt dry.

Within a few seconds, Lily stumbled through the other students, holding the hand of a very blond, very proper-looking boy.

"Alex!" she yelled, sloshing a glass of something that she was holding. "Lalic's been looking for you!"

"I've been trying to find him since I got here!" sighed Alex in relief.

Noticing James, Lily smiled wickedly. "Where's Eli? Or did she decide that you were just a good-for-nothing toerag?"

"She's a bit late, actually," James said, a bit stung. "I don't need your concern."

"Believe me, I'm not giving it."

"Where are your manners, Evans?" James glaring pointedly at her blond date.

"I completely forgot!" her tone of voice implying that it was the exact opposite. "This is Frances Schrunter. But I bet you already knew that. France, this is James Potter."

Frances just smiled back politlely, which came to James like a mockery.

"I hope you know what you're in for," James hissed at him, before stomping off madly toward where Sirius was.

Sirius' back was facing him and James saw Alex looking in the view of where Sirius was, mouthing 'Save Me' and looking pointedly around her admirers. James looked at Sirius' eager face, coming near Alex, and Alex was going in the direction of Sirius.

James watched and felt Sirius' humiliation as if it were his own, when Alex passed Sirius, going directly toward Lalic, who was coincidentally behind Sirius.

As soon as James saw Sirius' face and shoulders drop in the broken anticipation, he quickly moved to his side and hugged him with one arm in a very brotherly way. "Don't worry, I'm having far worse evening than you."

"This wasn't the brightest idea we ever had," he muttered glumly, taking another swig at the bottle that he was holding.

"You're lucky that your date is underage, and you could hang out with anyone you want. I've been hiding from Eli, and so far so good..."

As if she was summoned, Eli suddenly jumped out of nowhere, making the two guys step back in surprise, thinking that it was some sort of deranged animal.

"There you are!" Eli said brightly. She looked exceptionally well-prepared tonight, straightening her hair into place, and choosing a revealing, but prim outfit to wear. Her whole person contradicted the background behind her, with the rest of their peers, half-naked and hot and ready for acion.

"Here I am!" shouted James back, feeling perplexed at how akward he felt around his new girlfriend. "Have you just got here?"

"Yeah! It looks like I'm the only one here not wasted!" she trilled, like it was a good thing.

"Let's get you to blend in then!" James copied her enthusiastic trill. He found that getting her a drink was the only thing that he could think of to do with her.

"I'll take anything that you'll give me," Eli stared up at James.

James looked around and was unsurprised that Sirius had disappeared. He shook his head and handed Eli a bottle of Firewhiskey. All he wanted to do right now was take his clothes off, and curl up in bed.

"Aren't we going to do anything special tonight?" his girlfriend asked him innocently, but reaching for his hand and wrapping it around her hips.

Instead of feeling eager, and picking her up and carrying her up the stairs, James clenched his hand, absolutely replused at the idea of ravaging this girl that he had not known for more than two days.

Still obviously hung up on Evans, since time knowledge of a girl had never stopped him before.

But what else did he have to do?

The two of them slowly made their way up into the boys dormitory. When they got there, Eli grabbed the front of James' shirt and slammed herself onto the wall.

Although James was in love with Lily, it didn't meant that he didn't get lusty at what Eli just did. He tugged the hem of her dress and pulled it up her head.

She smelled like strawberries.

James pressed his mouth onto hers, sucking at her bottom lip. He quickly moved his lips to her neck, smiling as she groaned in pleasure. Soon, her hands quivered as she started unbuttoning his shirt.

He didn't decline and prompted to rip it off his arms as well.

Not being able to stand any longer, Eli pulled him onto the bed and straddled on his hips.

James relaxed and rested his head onto the pillow, allowing Eli's weight to make him feel better. He looked out at the black window distractedly and absentmindedly, massaged her thighs.

Eli collapsed on him, and leaned on his chest, while making small circles on it with her finger.

James looked down at her, amused when she bit her lip in nervousness.

"I don't think you're ready for this," he observed, watching as she wrapped an arm around her stomach self-consciously.

She blushed indignantly. "How would you know?"

He looked back at her skeptically. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No."

"Then I think that we better go down," he said with a kind of finality. He wasn't willing to be an asshole tonight. The only reason that he did this was for a moment of weakness, and just to give Eli something back.

"Okay," Eli stood up, taking her dress from the floor and evidently having a hard time putting it on, with her voluptuous curves which ill-fitted the small dress.

James didn't understand why she had to put something on, since everyone downstairs were clearly ignorant on putting something on. Instead of sliding himself into his shirt, he walked out barefoot, stil feeling overdressed in his pants.

He could feel Eli skulking behind him, smug when she saw how many other girls stopped to look at James' Chaser arms and perfect chest. And James was oblivious to it all.

--

Unfortunately for Lily, she witnessed this too. With all the willpower she could muster, she looked away from that sight of James Potter emerging from the Boys Dormitory with Eli. Lily turned her face to the now insignificant face of Frances Schrunter, who looked at her with those hopeful blue eyes of his.

He seemed all right earlier, being with his schoolboy gorgeousness--until she grudgingly saw James' uneraseable-picture-for-the-mind torso. Now, France just looked like one of the other boys who fancied her.

"I need to go get a drink," she mumbled into his ear, because she didn't want to shout over the noise around her.

As she staggered toward the table, she heard James yell "Moony!".

She turned around and found James no more than five feet away from her. She held her glass, petrified to move anywhere.

"Where have you been?" James slurred, leaning one arm on Remus' shoulder.

"Prefect duties," his friend replied smilingly. "And amazingly, there was no one around. As if they all decided to be good children and go to bed without breaking curfew."

"Amazing!" laughed James. "Now you can join the good children and take any drink that you want."

Remus looked at him with narrowed eyes. "How many have you had?"

"Five, more or less," James shrugged, with the perpetual smile on his face. "Now go find Padfoot, and then flirt with the girls. I hear they're very excited during this time of night--er, morning."

Finall able to start her feet, Lily marched toward where Alex was, sitting on Lalic's lap, leaning her head on his shoulder, looking like a prisoner trapped in a jailcell.

Her eyes lit up considerably when they spotted Lily. "We need to do something fun! Something extra crazy!"

"What do you suggest?" Anything would be better than remaining idle with Frances.

"I need another table and a bit of the Magical Superglue you have in your trunk upstairs..."

--

After Lily and Alex pushed the empty refreshment table into the center of the room, and hoisting up a smaller table up on the refreshments table and gluing it in place, Alex quickly climbed up until she reached the top.

Expectedly, everyone around them started hooting in encouragement.

Alex pulled Lily up with one hand and the two of them started grinding onto each other, and slowly the two were stripteasing and tossing their skirts and camisoles at the crowd.

One hand grabbed at Lily's ankle, and Alex instinctively pointed her wand at him, shooting a blast of water onto his face. Inspiration erupting into their minds, Lily and Alex started squirting water at everyone with their wands, still dancing rhythmically to the hypnotic music.

Alex helped hoisting other girls onto the first floor of the table, and blasting a flow of water at a perverted guy who felt up her leg.

Lily felt free. She hadn't been so liberated in all her life...or drunk as much as she did tonight. She pulled one random guy from the crowd and started kissing him, making her accidentally bump Alex and push her into the crowd.

No worries, the guys just caught Alex anyway and pushed her back up, contented to get a view of their bodies from below.

Sirius watched his Idol from afar, wanting to bury his face in Alex's black hair. He turned to Remus just for something to do, and found him ignorant of the wildness going on around him and sipping on his scotch like it was butterbeer. Sirius couldn't help but laugh.

James on the other hand, couldn't stop staring at his Idol, noticing her every move, and very aware of his heart being pierced when she kissed that total stranger.

"We should do something equally entertaining," Sirius voiced, watching the two girls.

"Let's climb up there then."

Together, they strode through the crowd effortlessly, and stepped up the tables without effort in their faces. Lily, although quite drunk, knew which people who she was supposed to glare at, and she did just that mildly, making it look like she was actually happy to see them, in the state she was in.

Alex, on the other hand, welcomed them warmly, swaying her hips as though it was normal to dance half-naked in front of a crowd of people, next to two of the most intimidating and popular boys in school.

Sirius seized the opportunity to gather her in his arms and just hold her, feeling very bold and aware of the fact that her seventh year boyfriend must be fuming right now. Evidently, Alex was too carefree a girl to think about trivial things such as that. She responded just as a friend would, and flung both their arms up into the air and kicked her legs in front of her, moving in close proximity to Sirius' face.

Being the guy that he was, and being mesmerized by those lips that were inches away from him, Sirius couldn't help but take her face and accidentally touch his lips to hers.

Of course, everyone was too wasted to remember that Alex Hernandez was supposed to be taken, but Lalic wasn't too wasted not to remember that.

And of course, being the best mate that James was, he jumped toward Lalic before Lalic could get a good view to jinx Sirius.

Everyone cheered and started taking sides. The seventh years gathered behind their own, and the sixth years bunched up behind James. The fifth years took whatever side they thought they wouldn't get hurt or noticed. Sirius jumped down next to James.

"Really are just as reckless as they say," Lalic smirked at Sirius with his striking brown eyes. "But they said you we're intelligent, but I guess you aren't right now."

"And who are THEY?" Sirius retorted, raising his wand, ready for anything that might come at him.

"Does it matter?" And out shot red from Lalic's wand, heading straight for Sirius' chest. James deflected it easily.

Three came at them at once, and the two could only deflect what came at them, and Sirius was thrown back into the wall as the red hit him square on the chest. The back of his head thumped painfully, both from the alcohol and the bump.

And then every color that you could think of just shot out of the three wands, evading the people that it was meant for and nearly hitting the watching people, who were ducking and screaming and pressed on the floor.

"OY!"

Alex was suddenly in the middle of the battle, unscathed and looking pissed off, which was rare, being who she was.

"What the hell, men?" she yelled at the three. "You! Potter, get out of this right now. You're not involved in this."

James scampered to where Lily stood, awed. It was the first time that Lily ever saw her best friend angry in a way which was frightening, which was understandable why James fleed unhesitantly.

"And you...!" Alex said, stomping to where Sirius stood, potinting an index finger accusingly. "What kind of girl do you take me for? Just snogging people out of nowhere?"

"Er-I just-erm-I-" Sirius stuttered. Sirius never stuttered, it was the first time when Sirius Black was ever speechless.

"And you!" she said, turning around and stomping toward her boyfriend in the same fashion that she gave Sirius. "I don't even know why I'm mad at you, but I am! You know how much I dislike unplanned duels! If you're really angry, punch him in the face and feel the pain! Fight like a muggle!"

She turned once again to Sirius, as sharply as she had done before. Lily was amazed that Alex wasn't dizzy or had a headache, with the amount of alcohol that she consumed combined with the turns she was giving.

"Just like this!"

In her black corseted underwear and lacey knickers, Alex looked anything but girly when she pulled back her fist and flung it at Sirius' eye with all the strength that she was able.

Sirius stumbled back and yelped in pain. He pressed his palm to his eye, and felt blood gush out of his nose.

"You hit me..." said Sirius, apalled at the stength one girl could have, even when drunk.

"Obviously," Lalic smirked from behind her. Alex glared at him threateningly, with a look that said 'do you want it to be your turn next?'.

He shrunk back in fear. Who wouldn't be, seeing the state that Sirius was in?

"You broke him!" one girl said stupidly, pointing at Sirius and running to his side.

"Let me fix him then..." Alex retorted coldly, before taking a mug of vodka and splashing it on Sirius' closed lids. "Want to clean him up too?"

She shot him with her famously strong shower of water that erupted from her wand. "Better, darling?" Alex hissed.

"Fix me up!" Sirius demanded. "I can't go to the Hospital Wing, or they'll find out!"

Being a careful student and cared about not being expelled, Alex was forced to go to him and fix him up for real. James, feeling it safe to come near Sirius, knelt beside him and pressed the ice that James enveloped in a towel, to Sirius' slowly purpling eye.

"Lean forward!" Alex ordered. "If you don't want blood coming into your lungs..."

Sirius waited until the blood stopped gushing out of his nose. Around him, the party was restarting as new people climbed the table. Alex took one of the abandoned shirts that lay strewn on the floor and pressed it to his nose.

"That better?" she asked distantly, looking up toward Lalic.

"A bit," Sirius muttered, using his good eye to stare up at her.

"Good," she said, turning to James. "You know what else to do..."

And she drifted off toward Lily, who looked irritatingly smug and indifferent. She whispered something to Alex and both of them laughed, shooting a glance at James and Sirius.

Remus came forward, followed by a giggling Peter.

"You all right? Remus said, the only one who actually spoke in concern. "Or was she too much for you?"

"Physically or emotionally?" James laughed, and silenced at once, seeing the glare that came out of Sirius' good eye.

"Can we please go up now?" Sirius complained standing up and heading toward their dormitory. "I've had enough drama for tonight."

The Marauders nodded in silent agreement and left the party that they were supposed to be hosting.

--

A/N- I want thick and evident tension! And I got inspired when I went to this party, which resembles this chapter so much. Reviews please! xoxo's.


	5. Bleak

A/N-I couldn't not just keep continuing! I was having too much fun thinking of stuff about what would happen next! Reviews! It's so easy, just click the button below and the other window will appear and all you have to do is type a few words and send it! It'll be over in less than a minute (unless your laptop is slow or something).

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, and if I did, my name would be JK Rowling.

--

The following Sunday brought about lazily, and in the morning, there were no fifth, sixth or seventh years in sight. The party had ended at five in the morning when everybody realized that they only had enough strength to get to their Common rooms before passing out in their warm Dormitory beds.

It was either they were all still asleep or nursing their hangovers in hiding.

The only ones who were up were six Gryffindors, looking well and tidy, considering that they had a particularly wild night the night before.

The Marauders sat in a huddle in the corner of their table, the teachers looked suspiciously at them, for this was a rare occassion that the Great Hall ever witnessed.

Lily looked up at the blue sky boredly. She felt not a hint of a hangover since Alex ordered her to drink a foul-looking yellow potion that morning, when she woke up, complaining about the light that entered the window. Alex had been to enough parties to know that she should prepare an anti-hangover potion beforehand.

And apparantely, so did the Marauders, who looked as at ease as they were.

Once in a while, James would sneak a glance at her, but before Lily could observe whether he was glaring or watching, he bent his head back down swiftly.

While Lily sat without a worry, her best friend was sitting beside her stiffly, sitting in a posture so straight that it looked like a stick was tied to her back and forced her to sit up.

"What's wrong with you?" Lily asked, looking Alex up and down curiously.

"I thought that I'd have a decent breakfast without having to see Sirius' face," Alex replied loud enough so that her voice would drift off to even to the far corner of the Marauders.

They heard this, and while the other three ignored her, Sirius took the time to look up, the purple bruise still circled around his eye. Lily saw that seeing this, Alex smirked in satisfaction and started piling pancakes on her plate and drowning them in buckets of maple syrup.

Lily looked at the pool of syrup that was starting to ooze from the plate in revulsion. Lily never liked eating a lot, because she was well aware of her figure, and made sure to keep it as it was.

"How can you gorge yourself with so much?" Lily stared at Alex, and then flicking her eyes momentarily to Alex's soft, but slender stomach, and then positioning her green eyes on Alex's tones arms and defined calves.

"Because I'm terribly hungry all the time," said Alex simply, looking down at herself when she saw Lily staring at her. "What?"

"How do you stay that way?" Lily asked enviously, chewing carefully on her omelet.

"Stay what way?"

"So...slender, even if you eat so much."

Alex looked back at her sternly. "You think this is slender? You're way skinnier than me!"

This wasn't as true as Alex would have presumed. Lily didn't like comparing herself to her best friend, but she couldn't help it, when both of them were that beautiful, smart and friendly. Lily scrutinized her own body and then compared it with Alex's longer, taller one.

If she asked the students which of the two of them would they prefer to look like, Lily was sure that they would say that they wanted Alex's skin, but Lily's lovely green eyes, wanted Alex's legs and long luxurious black hair, but equally envied Lily's long torso and long black eyelashes.

She knew this because she had actually asked in their fourth year, when Lily was so insecure and watched Alex looked so sure of herself.

"I'm not," Lily said quietly. "We're a tie, if that makes you agree."

--

The sky was painted in shades of pink and periwinkle. It was beautiful to behold, like someone had gotten bored of the lovely blue and replaced it with an even more lovelier sight.

Of course, James Potter could not notcie this because his demanding girlfriend kept asking him why he wasn't wearing the dark blue sweater that she gave him that morning, when she got it delivered by owl.

"I would have thought that you would be excited to wear it!" she complained, hurtling chunks of beef back to her plate that evening. "After all the trouble I made to get it from that Muggle store in London!"

James rolled his eyes impatiently, causing him to get a glimpse at Lily, who he avoided determinedly. "I haven't found a reason to wear it, love. I don't want to bother getting dressed again and again."

"Even so..."

"I'll get you something pretty to make up for it," James interrupted quickly, thinking of something in the lines of Quiddtich gloves or velvet scarves. He's just ask his mother to send him over a few.

After he said this, Eli predictably clapped her hands in elation. James shook his head discreetly. This was why he liked Lily so much, because she wasn't as trivial to be overjoyed with presents that she could afford herself.

"Hello Prongsy," Sirius sat beside him, obviously he felt sorry for James and decided, just like a best mate should, to save him from his girlfriend. "Didn't you schedule Quidditch practice today? What are you and me stil doing here?"

What he said wasn't untruthful. James just really did forget Quidditch practice. He stood up quickly and grabbed Sirius' elbow and tugged maniacally, glad at having a chance to escape Eli again.

"Thanks," James said gratefully, once they were under the dim light of the glorious sky. "I'm surprised you noticed."

"Ah well..."

"C'mon. I'm the Captain and yet, I'll be late on the first Quidditch practice of the year!"

They ran quickly, toward the Quidditch Pitch, and when they got there, their sides weren't hurting as it should have, and their breaths got quickly even.

James and Sirius changed in their uniforms and went out in the Pitch, where their five other teammates were waiting. Alex, who was the only girl among them, standing stiffly when Sirius' face was in view, oblivious to the guys beside her giving her grins that made Sirius want to smack them.

"Alright everyone, you remember everything I taught you last year. And I have no excuses for weak links because there are no new people this year. Got it?" James rubbed his Quidditch gloved hands enthusiastically. "Laps around the Pitch then!"

Quite unlike the speed of everyone else, Alex shot up from her broom and was at the head of the line, no one, even in their desperate attempts, was able to catch up to her. This was the reason James changed her from Chaser to Seeker.

"I want you all to get back to ground!" James shouted after they made fifty laps.

And then they all swept gracefully toward the grass.

"Two-hundred sit ups, and when you're done with that, I want you to run around the Pitch five times."

Although these weren't related to Quidditch necessities for training, James insisted that everyone on his team be fit always, and didn't just want them to be good on a broomstick. The team did not see it this way though, and groaned, lying on the ground with their hands on the back of their necks. James followed, but finished faster than them and stood up and ran around the Pitch, feeling full of adrenaline.

He was unsurprised when Sirius catched up to him, going at a pace that caught up with him immdeiately. Not sooner, Alex had intercepted them and was running ahead of them, her shiny black hair swaying behind her annoyingly.

"What do you gain by showing off?" Sirius called to her, quickening his pace, but she was still a few feet ahead.

She ignored this, and sped up at a faster pace, that James found it incredulous that a person could run that swiftly.

"Fine!" Sirius called. "Keep running ahead so that we can all see your bum in perfect view from back here!"

James could hear his teammates behind him snicker in agreement.

This seemed to take effect on Alex, who finally stopped and turned around so abruptly that Sirius ran into her. Resulting to her on the ground and him on top of her.

"Get off me, twit!" she yelled, shoving him off her.

Sirius remained stubbornly on top of her. "It's your fault."

James sensing that if he didn't lift Sirius off her, she would end up biting his head off, grabbed Sirius' arm and helped lifted him up. "Duck in cover," he said under his breath.

"I can see that," Sirius glowered back at Alex in annoyance, but still had his gentlemanly habits, and held out a hand to help her up. And Alex, with her gentlewomanly habits, took it.

"Thank you," she said curtly before running once again. She probably forgot Sirius' comment earlier.

"You're welcome!" Sirius yelled at her back.

She raised a hand and flapped it to signal that she heard him.

"You two are very confusing," James mused, jogging alongside Sirius. "One minute you want to bite each others heads off, and the next you're helping her up and saying words of--although sarcastic--gratitude."

His friend shruged in response. "Can't help it. We're both very appealing people." He snickered.

"Very appealing people..." James raised one eyebrow skeptically, turning his head so tha Sirius could see.

"Exactly." Sirius grinned annoyingly. "And, can we just skip this run? I really have to go somewhere tonight."

"Meeting Gwendelyn?"

"Not exactly."

"Meeting another girl?"

"Not really."

"I'm amazed that you're doing something not girl-related if you're not with your mates."

"I'm going to study," Sirius smirked, although James doubted it was studying the way Lily understood studying.

"Studying?"

"Yes Prongs, is it so hard to believe that I'm going to study?" Sirius cocked his head in mock-hurt.

"Er--actually, it is."

"Fine, then I'm just going to take a shower then."

"Guys! Stop running! Let's do a bit of flying!" James called to everyone.

They all hooted in agreement. And ran for their brooms, Alex, as usual, being the first one in the air. James, admired her spirit and how she could stand the could in her boyish, but quite short, shorts. She was becoming something of a sister to him: partly annoying, partly feisty, partly wild, partly crazy and she was friends with Lily. That was the most important one of all.

--

(A/N-Can I please please please insert this?? Even though James nor Lily aren't in the scene, I just thought of it and loved it!)

Every year, Sirius and James would get the password to the Prefects' bathrrom, in case they ever got bored of using their own bathroom in their dormitory. That night, Sirius borrowed James' invisibility cloak, because he wasn't in the mood to cast a disillusionment charm on himself.

Slowly, he crept down the stairs that lead to the Prefects' bathroom. Sirius was imagining on taking a long hot bath. He got there, only to find that someone was already inside the Olympic sized bathtub.

It was just anyone, it was Alex, who swerved around in the pool slowly, because the water slowed her down. But when she saw who it was, she didn't even blush in embarrassment.

Sirius, on the other hand, was staring at her neck and collarbone, which were the only signs of skin he could see, apart from her face.

"Sorry," Sirius mumbled, trying to move his feet, but couldn't.

"Oh don't leave on my account," she replied politely, gliding toward the edge of the tub and leaning her soapy arms on the edge, making Sirius even more aware of the sking unrevealed.

"You're in the bath," Sirius pointed out. "Wearing nothing."

"I'm wearing a bikini. You have no idea how many times someone had walked in on me already."

Sirius peered at her bare shoulders, and said, "Strapless?"

"Obviously. You can get in if you want, this thing is big enough for twenty people, I doubt that you'll get any action from me." she then lay on her back, drifting to the other edge of the pool.

This was the first time that Sirius would be in the bath with a girl, but not doing anything to her.

He took off every piece of clothing he had, except for his dark blue boxers that seemed swimming appropriate. And then he launched himself into the warm water, and was immediately consumed with bubbles.

"You look a bit like Dumbledore," Alex laughed, wading to where Sirius stood, still having gossebumps from her laugh. Imagine what he felt like when he felt her touch, when she brushed the bubbles and foam away from his hair and face. It gave him electric jolts when he felt the heat of her hand.

His hands itched to drape them around her waist, and something very funny was happening inside his boxers...

"Thanks," he mumbled in reply, when she moved away again and sat on the edge of the bathtub, showing him all in all of her glory, covered in foam. "Why do you come here?"

"Umm...to take a bath?"

"You have a bathroom in your own room."

"So do you," she pointed out. "Don't we all want to take a bath in something much more glamorous?"

He laughed. "You make it sound like something grand."

She was looking around without interest, but Sirius didn't feel hurt or anything. He knew that Alex was easily distracted, although she was brilliant in every respect as he.

He splashed at her dangling legs playfully. Her attention turned back to him. "I don't like you, remember?"

"You never don't like people," said Sirius seriously, bringing his brows together for effect.

"I've decided for a change in my life," she said serenely, sounding like the change was about riding ponies and making rainbows.

"You of all people cannot stay angry at one person," he said confidently and strode toward her, and within reaching her, leaned on her tanned legs. "If you did, you'd be in Slytherin, where I will always have a reason to hex you."

"Too bad for you," she pouted, bending her face a bit, making it inches away from his. "Since I'd beat you in deuling anytime."

"Is that a bet?"

"It's a fact."

"Theory."

"Wanna bet?"

"You're on."

--

A/N-Ahhhh!! I couldn't resist! Okay...fine. Reviews please! xoxo's.


	6. Envy

A/N-Okay...I'm at loss at any other ideas at the moment, but I'm trying to squeeze my thoughts to come up with something useful Reviews!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.

--

When Lily woke up, she turned to her right and found the bed beside hers empty, which was odd, since she was always the first one up when it came to the two of them.

Shrugging, she yawned widely. The kind of yawn that tingled through your whole body. She sat up and started combing her hair, which was in messy disarray at the top of her head. After she slicked off the last of the stubborn strands, she whisked herself into the bathroom to wash her face and take a hot shower.

Once the red towel had enveloped her body tightly, she traipsed over to her trunk and dressed in her uniform. She felt absolutely serene today, and she had no idea why.

After that morning routine, she went down the stairs and started walking across the Common room, when she promptly froze when she was at the center.

Alex was just coming out of the Boys dormitory, yawning. And she wasn't in her clothes. She was wearing Sirius' white button up shirt and his signature dark blue boxers. She was standing barefoot, and looked around her surroundings in a dreamlike state.

Lily stared at her best friend, not quite knowing what to think. So, deciding for an explanation, she strode over to where Alex was heading, up the Girls Dormitories.

"Why did you just come out of that Dormitory?" Lily reprimanded, putting her hands on her hips, raising one stern brow.

"Sirius and I ran into each other in the bathroom, and then we dueled in the common room afterward," Alex replied, looking at the messy surroundings of the Common Room. "I won, of course. But then I was to exhausted to stand up, so Sirius carried me up to his dormitory.

"And then, I was still wet without my clothes, so he let me borrow his. I lost consciousness after that. And then, I must've been placed on his bed, since I woke up to the sound of his silent snoring, and he was beside me. I looked around and none of them were still awake, so, I crept down unnoticed."

Lily just stared in stunned silence.

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" Alex inquired, lines creasing in her forehead.

"Nothing happened, right?"

"What would happen? Like I told you before, Sirius is as harmless as any of the boys around here."

"Like..." Lily looked up at the wall, hoping that it would look like her staring into space was a suggestive gesture.

Alex's eyes widened in realization. "I don't think of them that way! I see them as my brothers. The Marauders are like the brothers I never had."

"Brothers who can kiss you?" Lily grinned up at the wall.

"Sirius was the only one who ever kissed me, and his reason is fine, since we were all drunk anyway."

"All drunk except the two of you..." Lily pointed out.

"Can we please let this slide? I really want to change out of these clothes. I feel like a boy."

"Fine. I'll wait for you down here."

--

Meanwhile, earlier up at the Boys Dormitories, James had woken up before Alex.

When he woke up, James only stopped moving because he caught sight of Alex sleeping very closely to Sirius, with his arm draped around her protectively. James could not recall what part of the night when they entered, but it seemed like nothing major had happened, so he went back to sleep.

The second time that he woke up, Alex was gone and Sirius was sitting up, glancing around everywhere, trying to look at anything but the space where Alex was sleeping in earlier.

"What did you do last night?" James inquired. "Sure looks like studying to me."

Sirius looked at him and grinned. "She forgave me. Last night was one of the best nights of my life."

"Did something happen?"

"No. I just got to spend time with her alone."

"I wish I had the same chances with Lily."

"Prongsy, you're thinking about it too much," Sirius said, sitting beside James and put a hand around his shoulder companionably. "She's going to realize that she's in love with you when something between you and Eli happens."

"What?"

"Evans is obviously jealous--to me, she looks like she is."

"That's all very nice and all, but I want some real facts."

"So...find them."

"And how do you expect me to do that when she glowers at me everytime I look in her direction?"

Sirius laughed. "You're making everything way too complicated. All you have to do is keep taking it to the next level with Eli. Making Lily jealous. It's a classic move. Have you never watched the telly or movies at least once in your life?"

"I was having more fun tinkering with the magical stuff at home."

"And you think I haven't effed up everything I could touch at my place?" Sirius snickered. "The only reason why I watched all those shows were to annoy my parents. They detest everything that has to do with muggles, remember?"

"Do you think that I would forget something as important as that?" James turned to him, giving a mock-angry look.

But Sirius was looking at his watch. "We better get going or we're not going to get in time for breakfast."

--

"Are you going to finish that?"

Lily was looking up the ceiling again, looking at the brilliant blue sky. It was one of her habits to look up when she was absentminded. She stirred her fork around her eggs as she glanced to the Great Hall doors.

"Lily...hello?"

Lily felt a sharp jolt of pain on her finger. "Did you just pinch my pinky?"

"You weren't listening to me," Alex shrugged. "I was asking if I could have your sandwhich."

"Go ahead." Lily pushed her plate toward Alex.

"Is something wrong?" Alex drifted her gaze toward where Lily was looking and an evil smile appeared on her face. "You're looking for James!"

Lily jerked upward from her seat. "No I'm not!"

"Then why are you so distracted?"

"Because..."

"There he is right now!"

Lily acted in her most bored and poised position, before she realized that Alex was just joking. Alex pursed her lips at Lily, instead of looking like a horsey Petunia, she looked like she was posing for a photoshoot.

"What?" Lily demanded, shrinking back into her former postion.

"You like him..."

"I do not, I hate him more than I hate anyone in this room right now."

"Even Severus Snape?"

Lily paused before she answered. "No."

"Then why are you always looking at James?"

"Just stop all right? I'm not making any assumptions about why you didn't just go up our Dormitory, and that you like Sirius, when you have a boyfriend!"

"Then make assumptions," Alex teased, and looked at the figure that was going near her. "Hey Lal," said she, before planting a smooch on her boyfriend's lips.

"I missed you yesterday."

"You were too busy with your hangover remember?" she laughed, rubbing her nose with his.

As she watched her best mate and the boyfriend, Lily couldn't help but want to throw up in disgust, and feel jealous about Alex having founded someone as devoted and good-looking as Lalic. Lily turned away from them, and found Frances seated beside her, with those friendly blue eyes of his directed at her. She wondered vaguely at what he was doing there, when she explicitly brushed him off during the party.

"Hey Lils," he smiled, taking her hand.

"Ummm...hey?"

"I've been thinking...I don't think I can see you."

"O-kay," Lily said slowy rather alarmed.

"I hope you understand," he smiled radiantly and patted her hand before standing up and strolling away.

Alex looked at Lily, the sides of her lips twitching. "What was that about?"

"I think I just got dumped?"

Before they knew it, the two girls were laughing hysterically, thumping the table with their palms and clutching their stomachs.

"Poor you," Alex said, wiping a tear from her eye, and put her shoulder onto Lalic's shoulder, and he started stroking her hair absentmindedly.

"I didn't even know we were together," Lily said, her stomach aching pleasurably.

"One day. What a loser...he thought you were together just because of one date? It wasn't even a real date! You just bumped into him at the party, and he didn't even get to kiss you!"

"At least I'm relieved!"

"True. Now, I know that you might disagree, but I have to relieve myself before stress from school. Do you mind?" she asked, looking at Lalic pointedly and standing up.

"Go on," Lily smiled knowingly, but felt a tad bit lonely when she was left all alone again.

Cheer up. You're not alone! You've got twenty male species looking at you and drooling right now!

--

"Moony, you look a little pale today," Sirius chirped. "Is it the full moon already? Excellent."

"Quiet," Remus hissed at him, hitting him hard on the arm.

James laughed. "Really? Is it today? I never would have guessed."

"Same thing as always?" Peter asked, huffing beside Sirius.

"Of course," James clapped his hands together. "Unless some spontaneous thing happens that we can't prevent."

"Like anything interesting happens on a Monday," Sirius rolled his eyes and lead the way toward the Great Hall.

Just then, Alex was draped on Lalic Addison's arm as the two of them headed out.

"Looks like something interesting is going to happen," James observed indifferently.

"Not if I can help it," Sirius narrowed his eyes called over to Alex. "Where were you this morning? I woke up and you weren't there."

Lalic looked around and glowered at Sirius. "What's he talking about?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about," Alex crooned, massaging Lalic's arm to distract him, which kind of worked--just a bit. And it really worked a lot when she brought her hand up to his neck and stood on her tiptoes to reach his face and kiss him full on the lips.

"All right," Remus said akwardly, trying to look at anything but that.

"You really don't want to know?" Sirius said, remaining a straight face.

"If she thinks I don't, then I won't." was the simple reply.

"Okay then. Then I won't tell you how fun it was being in a bath with her and sleeping on the same bed."

James looked at him like he was crazy. "Do you want a death sentence to go with that?"

Just as Sirius wanted, Lalic's face turned to pure rage when he pulled away from Alex's face and said, "What?"

"Now you want to know? I don't feel like it right now."

James tugged at Sirius' arm. He really wasn't in the mood for deuling right now, and so early in the morning.

"He's making it seem like more than it was," Alex said boredly, looking earnestly at Lalic's intense brown eyes.

"It's true?"

"He walked in on me in the Prefect's bathroom--no need to get all mad--I was in a bikini. And then we deuled after I took a bet that I would win and then I did. But I was too tired to go up to my dorm and was nearly asleep by the fire, but Sirius just brought me up to his dorm and I changed into his clothes. No big deal."

"I'm not comforted by the thought that you slept beside him. I haven't even done that!"

"You'll get your turn anytime," Alex rolled her eyes, and held his hand before stomping off up the Marble Staircase.

James, who was instantly relieved, began walking toward the Great Hall again. "That was reckless."

"Indeed, it was," Remus agreed.

"So? When have I ever given a damn about what other people think?" Sirius fumed as they stepped into the Great Hall.

Several heads turned as he made this loud statement. It was just another reason to look at them, mostly.

Sirius was about to say something else when he noticed that James' face was ambivalent in expression and was heading determinedly at a part of the table that was away from Lily.

"What are you doing?" Sirius said instead.

"Eating breakfast," James replied innocently, taking a few sausages for effect, but he felt anything but hungry.

"What had we talked about earlier?" Sirius said in a way that it seemed like he was talking to a five year old.

"That I was supposed to make Lily jealous?" he replied uncertainly, looking around for Eli.

Sirius smiled in satisfaction, before taking one of James' sausages and putting them in his mouth.

James lookeda round and spotted Eli easily. She was heading toward him anyway.

"Goodmorning Els!" James said loudly, resisting the urge to laugh. "You're looking lovely today! Positively beautiful!"

Eli's cheeks burned scarlet. "I look like I've been ploughed through a farm."

"Nonsense!" James lied. She really did looked as she described herself. Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes looked unironed. Her face had bags under them and she looked ill. "I've never had to stop thinking about naughty things to do to you any more than now!"

James heard Sirius choke on his sausages.

"Really?" her eyes lit up considerably, which was saying something, since they were usually so dull that James wondered if she ever thought about anything--at all.

"Yes James, really?" James had not noticed that Lily had walked over to where he sat, with her arms crossed her chest. "Or are you just lying to get something in return?"

"Did I invite you in this conversation?" he had a hard time saying this, especially now, when her piercingly lovely green eyes were boring into his with intensity that made him want to grab her right then.

"I didn't think that I needed to be invited," she said cooly. "But if you don't want me, I'll be heading toward Muggle Studies now."

"You have that too?" James asked, forgetting to be an asshole. He dropped History of Magic, Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. So did Sirius and Moony, so basically, they all had their classes together. And apparantely, they would have the exact same schedule as Lily and Alex, who both took every available new subject in their third year too, but promptly dropped Divination, seeing that it wouldn't do them any good. James, Sirius and Remus on the other hand, handled everything and took classes even with other years, protesting that they should take all the subjects.

"Yes Potter. Obviously." she retorted before turning on her heel and stomping off out of the door.

--

Later, during Muggle Studies, they were studying about muggle vehicles. Beside Lily, Alex was jumping in excitement and fascination when cars and motorcycles came up.

"Lovely things!" she squealed as a new slide was shown. "I think I've fallen in love."

Behind Alex, Sirius was in equal enthusiasm. Despite the quarrel earlier, they seemed to be getting along when it came to this topic.

"I adore those Porsches!" Alex poured out, flipping through her textbook for more information. "They look so fast!"

"Ferrari..." Sirius drooled as the next slide was shown.

"Both of you can close your mouths now," James laughed. "I can practically swim in the drool that you're pouring onto the floor."

"Sorry mate, can't help it," Sirus apologized. "But I do prefer those motorcycles, looks speedier."

Lily rolled her eyes impatiently. She knew what all these were about anyway, and she found no interest whatsoever in these things. They were just contraptions to her. Contraptions that helped the Muggles travel, and help her go from one place to another, occasionally.

"All right everyone!" Professor Mildred squeaked when the last slide was shown. "Now that you've seen that, I think that the project you'll have is to research and make your own Muggle vehicle, as long as it helps them travel. Whatever model, as long as it's faithful to the instructions. Magic is allowed to build it, since, we are not professionals of course. Your partner is the person behind you!"

Lily looked behind her in a mixture of outrage and pleasure, while looking at James. He was looking down at his desk in nonchalance, as if he wasn't bothered that she was his partner at all.

"Ready?" he asked, fixing his glasses properly on his nose, before standing up and placing his books on her table.

"Fine."

Behind them, Sirius and Alex were cooperating much better.

"Motorcycle!" they shouted in unison.

"Black one," Sirius said.

"Huge," she included.

"Nice to know that they know what they want," James laughed nervously, peering at her beautiful face with his hazel eyes.

Lily wanted to grab his neck and sit on his lap, so much. He was acting so cocky and cute, that she couldn't help herself.

"I'm pretty sure that a car or a motorcycle is a bit complex, don't you think?" she asked, but staring at him in a way that made him not want to oppose her. "I think a bicycle would be the easiest."

"Whatever you say," James muttered. "You know which is easier to do."

After that, they both just worked in silence, researching, and only speaking when the other needed to share something important with the other.

--

A/N-I know, it's soooo frustrating, seeing them both playing hard to get when they know that they want each other! But I have an unplanned plan, so we have to see where it goes! Reviews please! It's too easy to just review! xoxo's.


	7. Pressure

A/N-Hello! All I want are plenty of reviews! Please do!

Disclaimer: Do I have to do this everytime? I don't own anything! I'm getting very tired in repeating that!

--

The night air was cool.

Remus had already been dragged to the Shrieking Shack awhile ago, and it was only a matter of waiting. James, Sirius and Peter were under James' Invisibility Cloak, carefully concealed and out of sight when they reached the grounds.

Once they were near the Black Lake, they took off the Cloak and transformed into their animals. James left the Cloak on the tree that was nearest the lake and placed a rock on top of it so that the wind wouldn't blow the Cloak away.

Once they started running toward to where the Whomping Willow was placed, James looked at the shaggy black dog, who halted abruptly and was standing erectly, with his head pointed to the direction of the lake.

A human figure was seated by the edge, hugging her legs and looking out at the dark lake.

Before James could do anything to stop him, Sirius darted to where the girl was sitting, running at full speed that his paws could take him.

Afraid of being discovered, James and Peter hid behind the bushes, still in their animal form, watching closely and waiting for Sirius.

The girl turned out to be Alex, who looked at the black dog in surprise, but welcomed it nevertheless.

"Aren't you cute?" she stated, petting behind his ears. "What peculiar eyes you have! Gray, that's a lovely shade. It kind of reminds me of someone I know."

Sirius' ears went up and his tail started wagging frantically.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, patting his head as he lay down on the grass beside her. "I didn't think Hogwarts had dogs. Do you mind if I gave you a name?"

The black dog turned his head up and then down. James peered and was resisting the urge to trample him with his horns.

"I think of you as a Snuffles," she laughed. "Because I don't want to give you some fierce name. You already look scary enough without the help of a name."

She pulled Sirius onto her lap and hugged him. Peter was smirking behind James, or rather, squeaking loudly.

"I come almost every night, before curfew," she informed them, unaware that these were actually people. "Just to think. That's why I'm out when people ask me where I've been."

Indeed, she was sometimes out during the night whenever she had the time, or when there was homework that wasn;t in dire need to be finished. She would come back a half hour or an hour later. The Gryffindors have always assumed that she was off just being her sneaky self. Sometimes, the Marauders would find her walking back up the Common Room when they were out on their own excursions.

"It's the only time of day when I can be myself completely," she continued. "Sometimes, they think that they aren't hurting me, but...I really just try to ignore everything."

Sirius looked up at her inquisitively.

"How come I feel so comfortable around you Snuffles?" she gazed down at him fondly. Sirius barked happily. "When I don't feel half as comfortable around human beings..." she continued her thought. "There's something suspiciously familiar about you! If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were an Animagus!"

James felt his insides churn nervously. All it took was one clever person to realize who that black dog was, and Alex, being so harassed constantly by Sirius, would be that clever one to figure them out.

He could see Sirius' eyes frantically darting around, to see if there was any way out of this. He did this while shaking his great shaggy head, which James thought was a bad idea.

"Of course...it sounds a bit far fetched, but, it could happen. I mean, I'm an Animagus myself..." Alex talked to herself.

Curiosity entered James' brain, forgetting to worry about her finding out. If Alex was an Animagus, then maybe Lily was too. It could be possible. Could it?

"I'm rambling on again," she laughed to herself. "Do you want me to show you?"

Sirius stared up at her blankly. He didn't know if she would recognize him once she transformed. Without another word, she slowly shrunk into a pretty, white Pomeranian. James could see Sirius' hair, stand on end.

Sirius looked down at the little dog nervously.

"Can you understand me now?" barked Alex, wagging her tail happily.

James could feel Sirius' frozen as he lay on the ground stiffly.

"Why aren't you answering?"

Sirius shook his head frantically before taking off and running in the direction of the Whomping Willow. Hidden, James and Peter followed suite. Casting one lingering look back, Alex, still in her dog form, was running after Sirius, not as fast as when she was human though, wih her short legs and small form.

"Wait!" she barked. And then, discovering that she was faster as a human, transformed back into one.

"What's gotten into you?" she called, running faster, and was actually catching up with Sirius.

Sirius barked in return. James called to him. "Do you want to stay?"

"What's that sound?" Alex asked, slowing down and looking around.

That was just James.

"No. I don't want to risk it. I'll see her another time," Sirius barked, before disappearing from Alex's view.

"Snuffles..." Alex mumbled desperately, as James turned to look.

Once she saw that she was alone, she retreated back to the school, her head hung low with disappointment.

"We are not doing that during the full moon again," James communicated with Sirius, once they caught up with him near the Whomping Willow.

"Wouldn't you have done the same if it was Lily?" Sirius retorted.

Peter scampered over to the root and than the Whomping Willow steadied, and was unmoving.

"Probably so," James admitted, entering the path. "But let's talk about this some other night all right?"

"Fine."

And the three of them disappeared under the path toward the Shrieking Shack.

--

"Where have you been?" Lily asked, when she saw Alex enter the room.

"Outside," was the short reply.

"And what were you doing outside?" Lily said kindly. She knew that if she didn't handle this correctly, her best friends would not talk in a way that was understandable to humans.

"Getting some air."

"Why didn't you ask me to come with you?"

"Because I wanted to be alone."

"And why did you want to be alone?" said Lily disbelievingly. Lily could stand being alone, but Alex was too admired to be left alone by anyone. Oh, she just answered her question.

"To think--and breathe?"

Lily laughed. "Seen anything interesting?"

"In fact, I have."

"Do you want to tell it to me?"

"I saw this great black dog, like the Grim that we studied about in third year Divination, before we dropped out. And then, when I joked about it being an Animagus, and then I--it suddenly ran away."

Something felt off. "There's something you're not telling me. That dog could be an Animagus, but it wouldn't have fled unless there was some way that you would figure out if it was really an Animagus."

Suddenly, Alex looked all nervous and was looking anywhere but at Lily. "Why do you think I'm hiding something?"

"Because you're looking like you want to throw up."

"Why was a dog here, in the first place?" Alex said, trying for a way out of the conversation.

"Don't change the subject," Lily snapped. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Lily, you're my best friend, but no offense, you're not exactly the person to talk to when they break a rule."

"Is it something major?" Lily's eyes widened. "Did you kill someone? Use an Unforgivable Curse? It's not unbelievable, in times like these--?"

"No! Nothing like that!"

"Then what?"

"I think it's better if I show you."

Looking around to make sure that no one was there, Alex looked at Lily right in the eye before showing her what it was.

Lily almost yelped in shock when she saw, there standing in Alex's place, was a little white Pomeranian, gazing up at her with those dark eyes that were exactly the same as her best friend's.

"Animagus?" Lily whispered, taking her best friend in her arms and petting her head. "Aren't you pretty?"

Alex barked back in delight, wagging her tail up and down. Her eyes bright and even her mouth was formed into something like a smile.

"Do you want me to put you back down?" asked Lily, feeling fond all of a sudden. "Because we have some homework to do."

Once she was put down, Alex turned back into her human self. "I'm surprised that you took it so well."

"I guess I'm just happy that you trusted me..."

"Let's do our studies then. You know how important it is to our future," Alex rolled her eyes. "Whatever future we have while Voldemort is trying to take control."

--

Later, when the three Marauders entered the Common Room at around midnight, they took of the Cloak and started toward the fireplace. They were about to reach for their goal until they saw that Lily and Alex were sitting together, sleeping quietly, with thick books on their laps.

"Want to bring them up to the Dorm?" Sirius whispered. "Just like I did with Alex yesterday? We can't leave them here, their necks'll hurt in the morning."

James debated on whether it would be a good idea to take the two girls up to their room. "Fine, but I'm sleeping on the floor. I don't need Lily to have another reason to strangle me."

"You do. I won't," Sirius smirked as he whispered.

Peter just stood back and listened to the conversation. These were the two most wanted girls in the school and he would do anything to get with them, but his mates came first. Or, that was what James and Sirius thought.

Sirius and James took their girl, one hand under the neck, and one hand under the knees, just like carrying a baby. It was easy for them, and the girls had not stirred at all, and had their heads on the boys' chest.

Peter opened the door for them, and directly went to his bed without dressing.

James put Lily down on his bed and took a comforter from his trunk and lay it on the floor. He took Remus' pillow, since he wouldn't be back until tomorrow anyway, and plopped it on the comforter. Gently, James took off Lily's robes, and folded it at her feet. She looked so serene and beautiful. He pulled the sheets around her up to her neck and changed into his pajama bottoms before placing himself on the comforter.

He looked up and saw that Sirius was looking at James, debating on whether to copy James or to just sleep beside Alex, just like last night. In frustration, Sirius groaned and conjured up a thin matress onto the floor.

"Do you have to be such a gentleman?" he scowled, while conjuring another thin matress for James.

"Thanks," James said, piling up the comforter onto the matress. "I'm your conscience remember?"

"My conscience?" Sirius looked at him with hilarity. "A conscience when it comes to girls definitely, but when it comes to everything else, you make me look like a saint."

"Just get to sleep Padfoot," James said, rolling onto his side, and then was consumed by sleep almost immediately.

--

When she woke up, Lily didn't open her eyes at first. She lay in bed, contented and took in the fragrant, familiar scent within the room. Lily recalled when she had gone to bed, but no such memory came to her. And then she realized what the scent smelled like and opened her lids instantly.

On the bed next to hers, she found Alex still sleeping. Lily would have been comforted by this, except that when she looked around, she found that this Dormitory was not hers at all. Panicked, she scrambled out of bed, and hardly touched the floor when she bounced to the other bed, where Alex lay.

"Wake up!" Lily whispered. She still had not looked down or anything, and had not spotted any other person within the room. "Wake up!"

Lily tapped Alex's arm in the annoying way that she knew Alex didn't like.

"What?" Alex slurred, looking up at Lily, disgruntled. "I'm still sleepy."

"If you haven't noticed, were not in our room!"

Alex sat up slowly, before looking around. Her eyes raked toward the floor and her lips turned up in amusement. "Look down."

Lily looked where Alex was looking, and found James and Sirius, sleeping soundly on the floor. Both were in their pajama bottoms, but their torsos were as bare as those of the Centaurs.

Lily's heart sped up dramatically at the sight of James' chest. She inwardly slapped herself for it.

"You have to give them props for giving up their beds for us," Alex slid off the bed. "And not taking advantage of us while we were asleep."

Lily watched as Alex got to her knees beside Sirius, and poked gently at his fading purple eye. "I must've hit him really hard."

"Obviously," Lily smirked.

"Yoohoo," she heard Alex whisper. "Wake up, sleepyhead." Alex turned to her and said, "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Aren't you going to do this to James?"

Instead of arguing, which would take up too much time, Lily obeyed and placed herself next to James. She felt a thrill down her spine when James stirred and his hand landed on her knee.

"Sirius..." Alex continued, sirenlike, and then looked up at Lily to indicate that she should copy her.

Lily bent her head near James' face, inches away, just like Alex's distance from Sirius' face.

"Wake up..." she heard Alex whisper, and Lily copied.

In the corner of her eye, Lily saw Sirius' arm snake around Alex's waist and pulled her on top of him. Lily suddenly felt a rush of longing to be held like that by the person that was underneath her.

She looked down and saw James smiling up at her.

"Goodmorning," he said pleasantly. "I like your face being the first thing that I see for the day. It's so refreshing."

Lily and James both turned their heads toward Sirius and Alex, who was struggling to wriggle away from Sirius' tight grip.

"This isn't funny," she said, but was too tired to hold her head up, and then rested her head on Sirius' chest.

"To me it is," Sirius smiled, and then loosened his grip.

"Thank you," Alex said and gave him a friendly peck that was aimed for the cheek, but missed and landed on his mouth.

"No, thank you," Sirius breathed.

"They certainly are too friendly with each other," James snickered, sitting up, so that Lily wasn't such in a precarious position to do what Alex had accidentally done a while ago.

"Aren't you used to it yet?" Lily asked, sitting beside him.

"Used to what?"

"Sirius being what he is when it comes to girls."

"Contrary to popular belief, Sirius isn't a bastard as some people think he is. He's not into girls so much, actually, and then just has little flings with them because he isn't ready for anything serious."

Lily liked that he was so loyal to his friends. She ached to touch him at that moment, to feel his heart beat. Mostly, it was just an ache to touch his skin.

"What about you and Eli?" she asked painfully. "Are you two all right?"

James looked uncomfortable, which made her perk up a bit. "Not really. She's different from what I thought her to be."

"Why don't you put it off with her?"

"Hey, where's Sirius and Alex?"

Lily was too immersed with James, that she didn't realize that Sirius and Alex were gone.

"Looks like I'm all yours," James smiled, saying it in a friendly way, and standing up. Lily, on the the other hand, found some different meaning in what he said.

"Looks like it," Lily smiled back as she put her robes around her.

--

A/N-I know that my chapters are annoyingly and depressingly long, but I can't help it! I like long chapters...I don't like the stories which leave me with lots of questions and are inexplicably short...reviews!! xoxo's.


	8. Impure

A/N- My internet was very hard to get, so, I got to making a lot of chapters beforehand already...I'll just be keeping you hanging when it's been a long time and still no chapter! Reviews!

Disclaimer: If my name does not say JK Rowling, then I most certainly do not own anything.

--

Two months flitted by easily, and yet, studies were getting very hard, and even the most brilliant students were having a hard time coping with their homewroks and projects. It wasn't unusual seeing a sixth or seventh year up until one in the morning, only to find that he or she has only gotten through half of her pitiful essay on the Laws of Transfiguration and Elements of a Jinx.

One night, when it was nearing midnight, even Lily, who was always known to keep her cool even during the hardest exams, was seen pulling her hair off her head, as she screamed in frustration.

Beside her, her best friend was closing her eyes in exhaustion, taking in deep breaths to prevent herself from screaming at an innocent crammer.

"Does he expect me to read this overnight?" Lily threw the rather heavy book across the room, and it landed on the floor loudly.

"Does Professor McKinley expect me to finish this blank table within half an hour?" Alex said gravely, only starting on her sheet. "I swear, I'm dying everyday."

"I haven't had a good night's sleep since last month!" Lily complained, falling back on the couch, wanting more than anything to take a quick nap.

"We need relievers..."

Right on cue, the Marauders appeared from the Boys Dormitories, looking fresh and cheerful. Even Remus, who was looking lately peaky, was rather flushed.

"What's got you all chipper?" Alex grumbled, massaging her cheeks like they were about to fall off.

"We have just taken eight hours of sleep, which means that we can be up for the rest of the night to finish off work," James said smugly.

"Quite a long nap, don't you think?" Lily inquired, peering at them and trying to hide the bags that formed under her eyes.

"It's common sense really," Sirius put in. "Why waste sleeping time, when you could do it during naps?"

"Oh yeah...commone sense," Lily rolled her eyes. "Like that's enough to get you to do all the work."

"Yeah Sirius," agreed Alex. "Be...serious!"

"Oh, look who thinks that she can be the next comedic sensation..." Sirius smirked. "You're not as fun as you think you are, you know."

"I don't think that I'm fun at all!" Alex retorted. "And I'm no fun at all, right Lils?"

"Er-"

"What?"

"Not really...I always have fun when I'm around you."

"Thanks for the backup Lils," Alex replied flatly. "But you don't have ANY fun around me, do you guys?"

She was looking at the other three Marauders, consisting of James, Remus and Peter, who all looked down at the ground in disagreeing silence.

"Guess I'm the only one who doesn't have plenty of fun around you," Sirius said comfortably, squeezing himself next to Alex, who squished him onto the arm of the sofa. "You're hurting my side!"

"Why squeeze next to me then?" she pressed, pressing her hip against his hardly. "When you fully know what I do to you when you annoy me."

She grined evilly. Lily laughed. "You better get out before she makes sure that it will be impossible for you to have children!"

An idea flashed through Alex's eyes. "That never crossed my mind, but thank you Lily, for saying that!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot Lily..." Sirius mumbled sarcastically, glowering at her.

"Now..."Alex continued, and then surprised them all when Sirius gave out a pained yelp, and the rest of his mates flinched in pain. Alex just grabbed his groin. "Get out now, before I decide to pull your nuts off..."

James watched in amusement and pity as Sirius' face twisted with evident pain. "Righto," he croaked out, trying to pull her hands away, but it seemed that it would pain him more. "Getting out now."

"Thanks," Alex smiled angelically, letting go, yawning and stretching her arms over her head. "That certainly woke me up. I can get on to finishing this damned table!"

And she proceeded to look very absorbed in filling out the blank marks, looking in utter concentration, that it was almost unimaginable that this was she just threatened making Sirius infertile awhile ago.

James looked dowm at Sirius, who was taking deep breaths and had his hands between his legs. James burst out laughing, making the other three laugh as well. The absurdity of the situation was too hilarious, and James couldn't help but just...laugh.

"I can't believe she just did that," James grinned, turning to look at where the girls sat, but his eyes landing automatically at his hearts desired redhead.

Feeling eyes were on her, Lily turned to look at where she felt it, and blushed scarlet and looked away at once. Damn! Why coudn't she stop turning red everytime he looked at her?

James, on the other hand, couldn't have been paler. He had the exact opposite effect when it came to looking at Lily.

--

The next day, Lily was rushing to her next class. She was heading to Transfiguration, and she was way earlier than anyone else, bu she had something to discuss with Professor McGonagall.

While she was sprinting to the classroom, a movement and the familiar face of Lalic Addison came into view from a classroom, but the girl he was kissing was certainly not his girlfriend.

Enraged, Lily stalked off to find Alex, without having a moment's hesitation to tell her.

Finding her, Lily stepped at an even more determined gait and halted to a stop in front of her surprised friend.

"What's wrong Lils?" she asked goodnaturedly. "Someone hurt you?"

"Come with me..."

"Sure."

Lily stomped off in the direction of where she found the no-good, lying cheater. Alex kept up with her, looking nervous and uneasy.

"Lils, you can tell me now. You look like you're about to bite someone's head off, and I need to stop that before...--"

Lily would never know what Alex would have said, since she cut her off when Alex saw Lalic coming out of the classroom, hand in hand with a competent-looking ravenhaired seventh year Ravenclaw. "No, you look like you're about to bite someone's head off."

What she said was untrue, since Alex's face was blank with shock, and a hint of hurt was spreading through her beautiful face.

"This is where QUidditch practice was then?" she said quietly, looking at Lalic directly in the eye. "I guess I won't blame you, you are too old for me."

Lily would laugh if this situatuion wasn't so serious. Lalic was anything but too old for Alex.

Lalic froze in place when he saw who spoke. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing defineable came out.

"What?" Alex smiled. "Cat caught your tongue, love?"

"Alex," he finally stammered. "It's not what it looks like--"

"Of course it's not. It never is."

"Look, I love you, but you're never around anymore! It's been days since I've seen you--"

"If you can't handle being alone for a few days, that's your problem, you don't see me snogging around with someone else," she chirped calmly.

"And what about that Sirius Black?" he grimaced menacingly. "Doesn't he keep you company, company that you can do with me?"

"I don't know what you're implying, but I definitely don't like it. There's nothing between me and Sirius and it's your own thoughts if you think I'd ever go out with him when I liked you. Now, Lily and I are going to be late for class. Let's make this quick."

She then strolled toward a hopeful looking Lalic, and pressed her lips on his and quickly pulled back and whispered to his ear, "Bye, Lal. I'll see you around. Have a nice whatever you're having with Ravenclaw chick."

Lily, who watched in awe, was suddenly pulled at the arm by Alex, and they both traipsed off to Transfiguration.

And THAT'S the way break-ups are done.

--

James was setting his bag down onto his chair when he noticed a gleam of red from the door. Glorious, in all her beauty, Lily sauntered into the room, looking radiant as she flung her wand around her distractedly.

"Did you hear? Lily just lost it to that seventh year guy that she's been dating." he heard someone say. He turned around but couldn't see who it was. It was true that Lily had dated that guy in seventh year since last month, but could she be so not headstrong to do that?

He sidled up next to Lily and whispered. "Is what they're saying true?"

"What are they saying?" she looked back at him in alarm.

"You slept with your seventh year boyfriend?" James replied forwardly.

Lily's face turned a deep red. "Rubbish! Whoever said that was touched in the head! I broke up with him an hour ago, just before Alex broke up with hers!"

"Alexandra broke up with Lalic?" James asked, surprised that the perfect couple who had ever stepped in Hogwarts grounds, had split up. Alex and Lalic were together ever since James could remember. Ever since, what, second year?

"Just now, actually," Lily said boredly. "While we're talking about relationships and their foul endings, you and Eli still going strong aren't you?"

"Erm...sure!" James said overenthusiastically. "Yeah, definitely!" He was lying of course, he was never so sick of one girl in his entire life. The only reason he kept trying to stand her was to keep the facade that he was perfectly in love with Eli, and make Lily jealous beyond reason. It seemed to work so far, according to Sirius, since Lily started acting coldly around Eli, and she just dated to make James jealous too.

"Really?" Lily raised a brow suspiciously. And then she set herself in the seat next to Alex.

James went back to his seat beside Sirius and informed him of what he had learned. And Sirius' eyes widened in delight, and James didn't want to ask anymore.

When half of the time was spent, there were quick raps on the window, and McGonagall, after many attempts of ignoring it, turned gravely toward the window and was surprised to find dozens of owls outside the window.

"Good gracious!" she exclaimed, coming to the window and opening it slightly. "What has gotten into them?"

The owls swooped into the room, uninvited. They all landed on the table where Lily and Alex sat. Their faces contorted into shock more than fear. As inspected later, there were boxes of chocolates on some and bouquets of multicolored, in-season flowers tied to the owls. Six went over to Lily and six went over to Alex. Each owl had a card in its beak.

Once they had delivered their packages, the owls swooped out smoothly out the window.

Professor McGonagall had her glasses askew and stomped off to Lily and Alex's table in fury. "Why is it that twelve owls came into my classroom, ladies?"

"Believe us Professor, we know nothing about it!" Lily exclaimed indignantly.

McGonagall held out her hand expectantly. The girls looked at each other in confusion.

"The cards!" McGonagall said impatiently. "So that I may give detention to that deluded dozen who sent you these gifts!"

Once she had all twelve cards in her hands, she read them one by one. The longer she read, the more her face turned red. She cleared her throat before saying in a hoarse voice, "Admirers. They come no good. Well, those admirers will get detention today. You can consider it as a sacrifice for their 'undying love for you.'"

The girls snickered as they looked at the cards and saw that one had that written on it.

"News spreads fast," James observed, his eyes narrowing at the pile of chocolate that Lily had on her desk. "I'm going to hunt them down."

"I'm impressed," Sirius said, sitting on his chair's hind legs. "That's the fastest that gossip ever got around about wo breakups."

"Must be a new record since when you were caught sneaking up the Ravenclaw tower to doodle on Rowena's statue."

"That was a good night. Within the second hour, everyone knew," Sirius smiled. "But it isn't a major thing, so, it's nothing to be fussed about."

With a quick slam of her palm on their table, McGonagall shut them up immediately.

--

(A/N-one of the reviews wanted a scandal, but I can't put one with Lily and James yet, so let's start with this...)

That night, Alex sat alone by the Common Room fire, pondering on her only breakup. She didn't know that a few feet away, Sirius was watching her with steady eyes.

"How long are you going to stand there?" she asked quietly, hugging her legs, and not looking at Sirius.

"I want to make you happy," Sirius said, moving toward Alex and hovering above her. He held out his hand. She took it.

"What else do I have to do?"

"Let's take a bath."

She smiled in amusement, thinking that it was a joke, until he started enveloping the ready Invisibility Cloak under the two of them.

"What are you doing?" she whispered angrily.

"Trying to get you to come with me. Talking will make you feel better. And as an added bonus, I have that favorite dark chocolate that melts in your mouth that you love..."

"Fine, but just talking."

They walked quietly along the hallways and down the staircases. Once they got to the bathroom, it seemed like warm familiarity.

She positioned herself on the edge of the tub, dangling her feet on the edge. He sat next to her.

"He doesn't know what he's missing, you know," Sirius said quietly, meaning every word. He wrapped an arm around her waist carelessly.

"Says you. You've been my friend ever since birth."

"I've probably liked you just as long as that."

She turned to him, smiling. "Aww...I like you too."

"Maybe I'm not at forward as I mean to be." he said nervously, building up on what he was about to say. "I think--I think I love you."

She stared back at him in stunned silence. He half-expected her to run out screaming, but she was too poised for that, so he expected that she would just brush him off and stand up to leave.

In her thoughts, there was another thing going on in her mind. Sirius was right there, touchable and reliable. He was always such a stable thing in her life, constantly. His face looked so smooth, just then, and she had the urge to brush his hair back, when the strands fell into his flawless forehead.

Before she knew what she was doing, she neared her face to his, trying to inhale his yummy scent. He moved in closer, touching her lips and soon, touched her lips with his. It was sweet at first, but as it got longer, it grew more urgent, much more wild.

Her hands itched to his shirt buttons, getting them undone easily. He impatiently took it off his arms. Those well-toned Beater arms made her want to kiss him all over. Sirius reached at the bottom of her shirt and tugged it out of her.

Soon, they were both only in their underwear, laying in the inside of the tub, their clothes sprawled around them. This didn't seem enough for them. They've seen each other this way before.

He traced his lips over her collarbone, and she lay down calmly. She was so beautiful it hurt for Sirius to look at her. Listlessly, she grabbed at the hook of her bra, and it soon came off. Sirius was always rumored to be experienced, but the truth was, he was just as pure as everyone around him. He was scared of doing something wrong.

He slid out of his boxers and all that was left to take off was her knickers. He caressed her arm lovingly, gazing deep into her eyes with his gray ones, wanting to let her know that everything would be all right.

And then, quickly, every item of clothing was out of their way, and they were both seeing each other for the first time, in perfect clarity.

"Wait," Sirius said, holding her shoulder to press her down on the cool floor of the bathtub. "Are we actually going to do this?"

"Protection," she murmured, in slurred sentence more than anything else.

He fingered his wand and unabashedly produced that 'protection'. While she kissed him, he slipped it on quickly and he hovered on top of her, wanting to protect her more than anything else.

He held her thigh and wrapped it around his hip. She arched her back, and he leaned in to kiss her nose, and then her cheek, and slowly slid his lips back to her lips.

A few minutes later, they lay down on the floor, taking in deep breaths, and she was curled up beside him, while he embraced her protectively. She pressed her head to his chest and he sighed in contentment. He could feel wet drops coming out of her eyes, and he looked down in concern.

"I have to go," she whispered, and dressed quickly.

Without even so much as giving him eye contact, she left him still in the bathtub, making him wonder if things would ever be the same again.

--

A/N-I hope that's scandalous enough for you...I'm a good girl, er--I think so. Anyway, reviews please...xoxo's.


	9. Aversion

A/N-Alrighty...I need a lot of suggestions because, due to the recent fanfics that I have done, all of my ideas are kind of used up...suggestions will give me idead and ideas may give you mild entertainment...depends...reviews AND suggestion please!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except for my things at home.

--

"Where've you been last night?" James demanded. "I needed the Invisibility Cloak and it wasn't anywhere in sight, and so were you."

James and Sirius were talking in low voices in th Entrance Hall that morning. Sirius refused to go into the Great Hall and they were eating toast on the steps of the Marble Staircase.

When Sirius just kept on nibbling on his over-buttered toast, James smacked his head.

"OW!" Sirius yelled, holding his head. "What was that for?"

"For not telling me anything!"

"I can't tell you, or I might not believe it myself."

"If you don't, I'm not going to talk to you until you do."

"I can't tell you in public, can I? I don't want to cause another drama for her to worry about.""

"Who is her?" James persisted.

Sirius sighed heavily. "I lost it to Alex last night."

James heard a small gasp from behind, and he quickly turned around to Obliviate the person, but the person was already up and gone when he got his wand out.

"Bollocks," James sweared. "Don't worry about that. He'll be too pussy to tell anyone."

"I doubt that a lot."

"So...you did it with Alex huh? What did you do to convince her? She always gave the impression that she thought you as someone only as a brother."

"Dunno. She just...leaned in and she was too close, and I couldn't handle myself. And she didn't protest. Probably depressed."

"That explains it!" James grinned.

"Git." he lost his gaze wistfully. "One of the best nights of my life."

Just then, Lily went out of the Great Hall, her eyes raking everywhere, trying to find something...or someone. She set her eyes on James and she quickly strode to where they sat.

"Have you seen Alex?" she said in concern, her brow furrowing and her forehead creasing.

"I thought she was with you!" Sirius exclaimed.

"She never came back to the Dormitory last night," said Lily absentmindedly.

James and Sirius exchanged looks of anxiety, and Lily noticed this. "What's wrong? You know something."

"I just remembered that there was this essay that's due today and I still hadn't done it!" Sirius lied, but acting very well.

Lily narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but before she could say anything else, James stood up, and Sirius followed. They walked up the stairs before Lily could reprimand them even more.

"What do you think happened to her?" James whispered to Sirius, making sure that no one else could overhear them.

A loud pop made them yelp in surprise. A house-elf appeared in front of them with worried eyes. James knew him instantly.

"Ousselouf!" James breathed out. "Don't do that! It's extremely surprising. Nearly gave Sirius a heart attack here."

"Me? You're the one who jumped up five feet into the air!"

"Masters," the house-elf cut James off before he could protest. "Miss Alexandra is not well. She came to the kitchens last night, drunk and I put her in the Room of Requirement, she is be expelled if I took her to Hospital Wing. Drinking is strictly frowned upon."

"What are we waiting for?" Sirius said loudly, and rushed up the stairs quickly.

James ran after him, while he heard Ousselouf disapparate.

The door quickly emerged from the wall, and Sirius barged in without any further invitation. He panted, bending down and leaned his hands on his knees, and scanned the dark room for Alex.

James appeared next to him, doing the same.

Alex lay in a bed, her head covered under a pillow and her hand dangling on the edge. Her other hand was holding a basin limply. She was wrapped in white sheets around her body.

James watched idly as Sirius went to her side and sneaked under the pillow at her face. And then, he slid in the bed and wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her arm. She woke with a start and cringed at his touch, pulling the covers up to her neck and scrambling to the farthest edge of the bed.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered, and then looked over at James. Then she stood up and wobbled toward James and hid behind him.

James found this amusing and remained standing there, just a prop.

"Ousselouf told me that you were here," said Sirius, standing up and drifting to where she hid behind James.

"Don't come near me," she said hoarsely, going to the other corner of the room. "Stay away from me Sirius!"

Sirius cast James a perplexed look, obviously expecting some better receiving than the one that he had just had.

"What's wrong with you?" Sirius said gently, coming at her slowly this time, taking steps that would not panic.

She just scrambled to the other corner of the room, curling up into a ball and hugged her knees, avoiding both men's gaze.

"Prongs..." Sirius turned to look at a bewildered James, with his gray pleading eyes that scorched with agony. "Please..."

James sighed and walked toward the trembling figure that was Alex. He sat next to her, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Mind telling me what the hell is freaking you out this way?"

"As if he," she shot a glare at Sirius, who flinched. "Didn't already tell you."

"All he told me was that last night was the best in his life." he muttered, making sure that his voice was soft and reassuring. "I don't see why that would upset you when it obviously uplifts him."

"Well, I didn't intend to lose it to Sirius, did I?" she snarled menacingly. "Now, I'm just another one of those--girl piles." she gritted her teeth at the last two words.

"You're worrying Lily, you know," he mumbled. "She was looking for you a while ago, said that you didn't come back last night."

Her eyes flashed in worry. "Oh no, he didn't tell her, did he? It would just upset Lily."

"No."

She sighed in relief. "Good."

"Do you want to tell me where you've been last night?"

"Not really," she sais stiffly, inching away from James now. "You'd just tell him, and then I won't be able to get away anymore."

"Look," he grimaced. "I won't tell Padfoot anything that you don't want me to. I'm here because he's worried about you. I'm not here to know what you've been doing. Think of me as...a psychologist."

The corners of her mouth involuntarily twitched. "Mental muggle problems...so that's what's wrong with me!"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Fine. I'll just hunt you down, if you sway on your word. I was just...trudging around the corridors? for a while. I just thought it best to get some air and went out. Snuck out to Hogsmeade and took some brandy, rum and vodka from a pub. Stayed in the edges of the Forbidden Forest, and then Ousselouf found me while he was tending to some cleaning."

"Got yourself into a big headache didn't you?" James mused.

"Alex?" a new voice emerged from the doorway. From the corner of his eye, James saw Sirius stiffen and his hand twitch toward his robes.

James and Alex twisted their heads toward the door, and found the breathless form of Alex's ex-boyfriend, and behind him , Lily was sprinting toward the room, concern and worry in her beautiful green eyes.

"what are you doing here?" Sirius barked.

Lalic did not reply. His warm brown eyes raked the room until he found the only form that mattered to him. He walked over to where Alex curled up, and cradled her in his arms. She morphed into him with no aversion, and buried her head in his chest while tears streamed down her dark eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I didn't let you before, but I let my guard down and...and..."

She buried her head in his chest again and moaned.

"Shh..." he said comfortingly. "It's not your fault. It's mine--and his."

James saw him shoot a deadly glare toward his best friend. Lily sided to him and saw a shiver erupt from her.

"What wrong?" she asked, glancing around nervously, Alex to Lalic to Sirius to James then back to Alex again. "Ousselouf just came at us..."

"Alex lost it to Sirius last night," he mumbled in a rush, avoiding Lily's eyes and said it as quietly as he could.

James, who expected Lily to freak and tear Sirius right then, watched in shock as Lily just crumpled on the ground and looked at her best friend in thoughtful sadness.

James copied her, and slid a protective arm on over her shoulder.

"You will never touch her again!" Lalic yelled, turning around and in two quick strides, had his wand in Sirius' chest.

"Stop!" Alex was in between them quickly, a hand on either chest. "I don't want no duels over this!"

"She's right," Lalic growled. "No duels."

In the next second, he struck Sirius jaw with his fist, and once Sirius hit the ground, Lalic launched himself at him and hit every part of Sirius that he could reach. Sirius struggled at first, but gave painful blows to Lalic and gave him a bloody lip.

There was a flash and the two fighters were five yards away from each other, both their handsome faces etched in combat evidence.

"Didn't I say stop?" Alex grimaced.

"You told us to fight like muggles the last time, remember?" Sirius glowered at Lalic, who glared back.

"I was trying to make a point!"

"Which worked effectively," Lalic hissed at Sirius, getting on his feet again to charge at him.

"No!"

"Why are you stopping me?" Lalic shook his head in frustration at her. "I'm protecting you! He stole what was mine, even if he had no right to claim it!"

"Because it doesn't feel right," she explained simply. "Because it's not his fault."

"How can you say that?" Lalic closed the space between them and cupped her face with his hands. "I know I was wrong, but I can't not think about it."

Lily looked at James, hoping that he would have the presence of mind to be sensitive toward Sirius, who was still in a sitting position, still like a statue and listening to the conversation.

"Let me hit him, just one more time," Lalic growled threateningly.

Alex soothed him, looking like she was suffering, but seemed happy to have Lalic there. Everyone present in the room know too well that no matter what cheating that any of them would do, Lalic and Alex loved each other. Too much, although Alex sometimes didn't show it.

"Confusing couple, aren't they?" James tried lightening the mood, and whispered to Lily.

Lily just glanced at him with a smile that didn't satisfy him. "I'm concerned for Sirius right now."

This surprised James. "Why?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed how Sirius looks at her," Lily said incredulously. "It must be torturing him right now, thinking that Alex thought it was as special as it was to him. And he ended up knowing that she averted to it."

"Didn't know you knew Sirius that way."

"I'm more insightful than you give me credit for, you know."

"I know that. I just didn't know that you would have time for thinking about 'brainless, tactless Sirius.'" he quoted.

For the first time in this whole tensing scene, they laughed, making the other three stare in their direction. It made the, both shut up immediately.

"Guess they want us to watch the soap opera..." Lily mumbled, sniggering.

"Wonder what Gwen'd think about this," he wondered. "Must kill her already failing humor."

Just then, Sirius thought to stand up and head toward Alex and take her arm. She yanked it free from him, edging toward Lalic with fright in her eyes.

"What can I do to make it better?" Sirius asked, desperately, almost pleadingly. "I don't understand."

"I'll be late for class," Alex whispered. "We have to go."

And she went out the room, Lalic tugging on her as they did.

Class was the last thing that would enter their mind. James looked at Sirius intently, waiting for him to do something violent and he had to stop him before anything bad would happen.

"I'll go ahead, all right?" Lily told him, getting up. "Take care of him." And then Lily surprised him by ruffling his hair almost in affection and she ducked her head and pressed her lips to his forehead, before going out of the room.

After getting over that wave of electricity, James clenched his fists and tensed his jaw, waiting in anticipation for the tantrum that would surely come. James sat there, waiting, but the outbreak did not come. Sirius simply stood in the middle of the room, with unnatural sorrow on his face, but otherwise had his face contorted into something that was calm.

"Padfoot?" James said cautiously, standing up and hovering his hand near where his wand was safely kept. "You all right, mate?"

"Absolutely perfect," Sirius muttered, averting his gaze from James.

"And you said that I was the one who was too smitten with girls," laughed James pensievely.

"Guess you were better."

"Want a run around the Forest?" James offered, setting aside the whole day.

"Definitely."

--

"Where have you been all day?" Remus asked, trying to hide the anxiety that he must have felt all day. "I had to cover for the two of you, all day long."

"Forest," James and Sirius said together.

"Er--I've been hearing unpleasant rumors about you Padfoot," ventured Remus, looking a bit timid. "I'd like to hear the true account from you."

"True account?" James asked in surprise. "Why? Are there plenty of versions?"

"You could say that..." Peter said quietly, trying to avoid looking at anyone. "It's stupid, really. Everyone thinks that they know everything."

"I wanted to hex some of them myself," Remus added.

"Which version do you think you're contented with?" Sirius asked calmly.

"None. I don't want to believe that something happened to you and Alex the night that she broke up with her five-year boyfriend."

"Yeah Padfoot," agreed Peter. "Seems a bit insensitive, even for you."

"Call me cruel and unfeeling then," Sirius blinked wildly. "Since that version is the real one."

"Don't be so hard on yourself mate," James said, patting Sirius on the back and glancing reproachfully at his two other mates. "I'd have done it too, if it were Lily involved."

"Easy for you to say," he grumbled back.

Remus sighed in defeat. "You must have had a valid reason for doing it. We'll just have to ignore 'em tomorrow."

"Yeah," seconded Peter. "Hex everyone who puts it in your face."

There wasn't much left to add. Earlier on, James did everything to comfort Sirius already, leaving him to run by himself, wihtout the interruption of human judgment. James, in his stag form, just kept a few paces away from Sirius' black dog, and making sure that they were both safe, since Sirius would be too preoccupied to notice danger coming.

The Portrait Hole opened and at the very wrong time, Lily stepped through, with Alex closely behind her. James ached to go to Lily again, hoping that she would come to her senses and told him that she wanted him. But she looked so worried, that James stayed where he was, eternally bound by loyalty to his best friend.

"Lily," Alex mumbled, eyeing Sirius' downcast form warily. "I don't think I can still be friends with him."

"Why not?" Lily turned to her. "As harmless as any other boy, remember?"

"You didn't have to rub it in my face, you know," she whimpered, her eyes getting glassy. "I know I was wrong. He's the best predator, all right?"

"I didn't mean it that way!" said Lily, shaking her hands in front of her. "Not in an 'I told you so' way! I was trying to encourage you."

"Way to encourage. At least you have an excuse to go near James now, comforting Sirius too."

"James?" Lily's eyes widened. "What doe she have anything to do with this?"

"I'm not an idiot Lily. I know you like him. Just go, at least one of us can benefit out of this..."

Lily was enraged by now. "You think that I'm like that? You're more important than any guy, Lex. Deal with it, and get over this. Kiss and make up with Sirius now."

Alex flinched at the 'kiss' part.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"If it makes it better for you."

She watched and followed as Alex drifted to where the Marauders sat. Remus looked up in exhaustion, with a stance that looked protective, over Sirius.

"We come in peace," Lily said in explanation. "Alex wants to make up."

She heard Alex groan behind her.

"Make up for what?" Sirius looked up with a dead expression on his too depressed, too handsome face. "She didn't do anything."

"I want things back to how they were before," Alex said earnestly. "I don't want this to go...end everything. We've known each other since birth Sirius! How can we be mad at each other? It's almost atrocious to think of us not getting along!"

"I can't let it go as easily as you. I care more about you, obviously. But you...you just, don't feel the same. I could say that I want to patch things up, and that would be the truth. But if I said that I could forget the whole thing because it meant nothing, that would be a downright lie."

James, Lily, Remus and Peter couldn't do anything else but hold their breath and watch in curiosity. They didn't notice that everyone else in the room was doing the same.

"Why?" she asked, her eyes unfathomable, with their obvious questions which she was the only one in the room who could not answer. "You're really wilting me here, Sirius. Remember the fun times? Riding on Fawkes tail in third year? Sneaking you out your house during summer, so that you won't kill your family? Hanging those posters that you asked me to get you for your room, the ones with the girls in the bikinis and the motorcycles? I can't handle this heavyhearted mood."

As she said those insignificant memories, that seemed insignificant to her, James noticed and realized that plenty of the things that influenced Sirius were because of Alex. His interest in motorcycles, his want for trouble, the need to do something new, always restless...everything was because Alex influenced Sirius too much.

James looked at Sirius and saw that Sirius realized this too, as Alex enumerated those random memories. James sat nearer to Lily, wanting a warm comfort near him, and she inched near him too, seeming to want the same thing too.

"Why?" she repeated when Sirius still had not answered.

He looked her directly in the eye. "Didn't I already tell you?"

"Tell me what?" she said through her gritted teeth, almost annoyed.

"I. Love. You."

--

A/N-Alrighty! It was longer than I expected, but I could not possibly out that last part into another chapter! It was what made this chapter complete! Reviews AND suggestions please! xoxo's.


	10. Rumors

A/N-When the rain comes again, I'll be waiting and loving with folded arms...

Hello! I want reviews and suggestions! gimme gimme more!

I. Own. Nothing. Grudgingly.

--

The room was silent. Everyone heard what was said, and now the only thing to do was to wait. But the wait tok longer than expected. The person who those three words were directed blinked back in shock. She looked at her lover's pained features with awe.

"Alex," Lily whispered when the weight of the silence was unbearable. "Say something."

It was so quiet that everyone in the room heard her.

James shook his head in anxiety, and would switch his gaze from Sirius to Lily to Alex then back again.

Finally, Alex gulped. The room stiffened in anxious anticipation. "I...I don't know what to say."

"That's a first," Sirius grumbled, looking at every face in the room except for hers.

"You really shouldn't have said that," she whispered, like he said nothing. "Now, I don't know what to make of this. I don't know if...everything will be as normal as before."

James suddenly got irritated. "Why do you want to go back to things before? Here Sirius is, obviously throwing himself at you, but you just keep pushing him back. Why don't you just try this out?"

Lily stared at him.

Alex looked down at the floor. "I don't know. I don't want things to change. I guess I'm just...scared."

"Aren't you the one who always says that change is inevitable?" Lily said gently. "I don't see why you're scared at all."

"What if I try it? And then, it ends badly, and then I can't be friends anymore, with any of you," Alex looked pointedly at the four Marauders. "You remember what happened today, James, Lily, Sirius, in the room. And me and Sirius weren't even dating and then the tension was already thick! I can't handle that!"

"That's all?" James asked in irritation. "That's about the dumbest thing that I've heard in all my life. Of course nothing will change, even if it doesn't work out!"

"You say," Lily defended her friend, who looked so alone at the moment, with no one seeing her side but Lily. "That's easy to say now, but can we really say that if we see what happens?"

James shook his head in disbelief. "They've been friends since year one, and you think that because of one tiny little glitch in the relationship, it'll all be over?"

"But what if it doesn't end bad?" Remus said with a smile. "Wouldn't you like to try it and see? From what I've noticed, Sirius has been infatuated with you ever since we got at Hogwarts. He just never realized it until he started dating."

"What about what I want?" Alex pouted. "Do I just go along because Sirius wants it? I do actually love Lalic, in case you haven't noticed. I love him."

Everyone saw Sirius flinch a little.

"Well," Peter said slowly. "That can pose as a problem, don't it?"

"I guess we all just had Padfoot's good intentions at heart," James said softly, trying to find a way to retort through the obvious wall that Alex brought up. "But maybe you only think you like Lal because you've been with him for so long, that you think that it's impossible to be with anyone else."

"Prongs," Sirius moaned. "Stop. This isn't doing anything. I got it out, and I guess it just wasn't...supposed to happen."

"Sirius, I--" Alex started, tears forming on her pretty eyes.

"Save it."

Before anybody else could say a word, Sirius sauntered up the Boys Dormitories the same time that Lily pulled Alex up theirs.

--

"Hey."

The voice sounded despicable in James' head. He watched, fuming as Lalic headed toward Alex with his head held high. Because of him, Sirius didn't get any sleep, and Sirius started to fast, not eating anything at all, and looking sullen and grave all the time.

James wanted to bite Lalic's head off.

"Hey," Alex replied sadly.

"Hello sweetheart," Lalic said brightly, sitting on the seat beside Alex's. James cringed away even if he was more than ten feet away. "Where's my kiss?"

"Here."

Looking every bit forced, Alex looked up and puckered her lips until Lalic touched it with his own. They stayed glued like that for awhile, since Lal bunched up fists into her thick, black hair, and pressed her to him using his other hand.

James looked nervously at Sirius. If only James could get a minute alone with Lily, then maybe he could try to make things better and try to get things flowing the way it used to be.

A pang of sorrow hit his chest when he glanced at Lily, so far from him right now, looking every bit as depressed as he felt. He wanted so much to put his arms around her. Wrap them around her waist and duck down his head to press his lips to hers, and then just make all the sadness melt away.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Remus said, pointing up at the sky with his fork, an attempt to lighten up the mood.

"Why don't you wallow in it?" Sirius replied moodily, staring dejectedly at the empty plate in front of him

"Didn't think you'd mind," Remus sighed. "I can't take it."

"It's not like you're the one suffering," Sirius mumbled grouchily.

"It's as hard watching as it is doing."

"Very clever Moony, you've really outdone yourself."

When James saw that Moony's features were grim, and opening his mouth to retort, James cut in with a, "We shouldn't argue over this stuff. There's nothing to it. We're mates, guys. And you Padfoot, whatever the hell you're sulking about, get over it. It's not worth it and I am very annoyed right now."

"Didn't know it bothered you," Sirius' brows shot up. "Thought you were just thinking about Lily."

"Isn't the case, it it?" he replied hotly. True, he did think about Lily, but it was getting petty when Sirius was sulking around and forgetting to have a life. "So get up off your arse and just make some trouble. Ought to get your mind off things."

Sirius smiled halfheartedly. "Fine, but if anything happens, I can blame you."

"That's a deal," James smirked. "Atta boy."

--

The next few weeks were a bit hectic and stressful, especially now that the Quidditch Season has begun. Gryffindor won their first match against Ravenclaw and now, James was constantly having days of training squeezed into the teams schedules. Although there was now a polite relationship between his best mate and Lily's best mate, it was obvious with the way they played that everything wasn't all right.

That training day on Friday afternoon, a bludger hit Alex on the shoulder and a sharp snap echoed throughout the field. This resulted because Sirius was carefully placed far away from Alex, and had not time to hit the bludger away from her.

James saw Lily run from the stands and stop where Alex had fallen. No one had been able to catch her at the speed that she fell. It was a good thing that it was only a little over twenty feet above the ground.

The whole team landed to where Alex lay, panting desperately and had her eyes closed, and her hand clasped around her weirdly protruding shoulder. Her lovely face was contorted in pain, although she had not whimpered or gasped to show it.

"Are you all right?" Lily gasped, eyeing her shoulder in anxiety. "That was stupid...of course you're not all right!"

Alex giggled, but then groaned and clutched at the shoulder tighter. "Get me to the Wing, but I don't want to, so just fix me up."

"What?" Lily said in alarm. "Fix you up? What if I do something wrong, or I--?"

"Lily, shut up. You're brilliant alright? Just make it stop."

Lily looked at James frantically. "Will you do it instead?"

"I can hear you." Alex murmured, her eyes closed. "Fine, if you're too frightened to do it yourself, let Jamesy here take the glory."

Lily nodded, happy even to consume her pride.

There was a flash of yellow light and Alex ahhed. "That's a relief," she muttered vaguely.

She stood up, good as new. She brushed off some dirt from her sleeves and straightened her shorts, which started riding up, being on a broom. Not that it wasn't something that thrilled her teammates.

"Can we get back to practice now? We do have to get that Cup!" she yelled, thrusting her clenched palms into the air. "Let's do this!"

"Right!" James shouted. "What she said! Let's go men...and er--woman!"

"Smooth," Lily laughed, heading back toward the stands to watch. She was there to watch Alex really, but now she had a reason to look at James too. It didn't particularly thrill her to have this sore weakness to see him, but she accepted it and moved along without any hesitation.

He moved with such skill and precision, passing the Quaffle from teammate to teammate. And then when it was passed back to him, he aimed it expertly into one of the three goals. It was suck an ease to just watch. If Lily would suddenly drift her attention to her best friend, she would notice how Alex manuevered the broom in familiar grace. She glided through her teammates with more speed than any of them and catch the Snitch within a matter of seconds.

James did not bother ending the games when the Snitch was caught. He knew that it would be more productive to leave Alex at her own devices. Truthfully, she didn't even need the training. She could play any of the roles of the team and they'd still win hands down. A natural athlete, just like James.

James James James James. Lily chanted in her head. To distract her, she would then let her attention dwell on James' best friend. Sirius, had the perfect build for a Beater, being strong and precise. He would rarely not hit his goal, and during games, he would usually end up having half of the opposing team injured because of those deadly bats he would make.

But neither her best friend or his best friend would divert her attention for long, since her gaze would steadily and easily return to James' face, which was always etched in silent determination.

Meanwhile, on the Quidditch Pitch, James found it superbly hard not to get his eyes on Lily. Her hair was vivid against the afternoon sky. Fantastically pretty, to him.

A bludger narrowly missed his arm.

"Focus Padfoot! Focus!" James yelled behind him angrily. He saw Sirius fly over to the bludger with angered eyes. James understood that he was a bit preoccuupied, but that didn't mean almost having the bludger hit another teammate again!

"Sorry!" Sirius called back.

Practice went on for quite a while, before James thought that they did more than excellent training and let them head for the showers. Dirty and satisfied, James went into the showers after he kept the Quidditch equipment.

Before he even removed his robes, he heard a rustling sound from outside. He came to inspect. No one was around anymore. Sirius told him that he'd meet with Remus, so James was alone in the locker room.

Before he got outside, he heard someone shove someone and he went out as quickly as he could.

When he got out, he found a disheveled figure panting on the ground by a bush. He watched cautiously and brought his wand out instantly. Even if Hogwarts was the safest place right now, these were dark times.

He recognized those familiar features, and he arrived at his side immediately. It was one of the people in his year. James couldn't remember his name, but he knew his face. That face was bruised and blood was spattered all over his mouth and nose. Bruises were forming on his arms and James gasped in digust as he saw that the leg was in an angle that was not normal in the human world.

"Urgh," James scrunched up his face. "What happened to you, mate?"

"Got pumelled by a seventh year," he groaned.

"Didn't you fight back?"

"'Course I did, he just got away."

"Why'd you get such a beating?" James asked in curiosity. "I'm impressed. You must have really angered the bloke."

"Stole his girlfriend, and my dad just killed his dad," was the simple answer.

"Seventh year a Slytherin?" James hissed.

He nodded.

"Good for you to get his girl. I don't know who she is, but that Slytherin bloke does not deserve her. You do."

"Thanks, James. And can you get me cleaned up? I'd rather not get detention from Pomfrey."

"All right, then."

Just as he did with Alex earlier, James got this guys face clean of blood and fixed his nose up. "All good?" James asked, getting him to his feet.

"Spectacular," the dude smiled appreciatively. "You're not as bad as they say you are."

"Of course I'm not!" James replied comfortably, walking beside him back to the Castle. "That's why they're called rumors. Not entirely true, them."

He laughed. "Not entirely? Then there is some truth to the recent ones?"

James had no idea what he was doing talking to this complete acquaintance who he had not even had a conversation until today. Oddly enough, he felt no hostility toward him. He looked trustworthy, James could tell and he didn't even know his name!

"Sure," James agreed, careful not to state which rumor was partly true. "Which one?"

"Er--it's a bit rude of me though."

"Go ahead."

"The one about your mate and Lily's mate?"

James didn't need to know which mate it was to know what he was talking about. "What's the one you heard about?"

"Black and Hernandez did it on the Astronomy Tower and then got caught by a first year that got lost?"

"That only had got one thing right," James laughed. "Not very accurate, these people, are they?"

"It did sound doubtable," the guy laughed in relief, seeing that James wasn't angered by the intrusion. "There's also the one where it was done somewhere in the Forest when Black kidnapped her from Lalic, that was the explanation at why people thought that they broke up. It was a bit funny that the day after Lal and Alex broke up, they were seen snogging each other."

James snorted. "Yeah well. And again, only one thing got right."

"Less dramatic than that, I suppose?"

"No ounce of drama in the happening at all."

"Except for that one thing."

"Sure," James said carefully. He didn't give anything at all. If anything, he was the one who gained information. They had reached the Castle doors, "I'll see you around then."

"Thanks again."

James gave a small smile and headed up the stairs, forgetting all about his shower.

--

A/N-I didn't know what to do here? Sorry. I'm running out of ideas, seriously. Seventh year is a long way away, and I need more drama NOW. Reviews AND suggestions please. xoxo's.


	11. Grandeur

A/N-Hey! I've been soooo busy with a LOT of stuff and have been so distracted with choreography and school and performances, but now, I can write again! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! And I'd like to thank Hannah-Louisee-Babes for the suggestions that she has given me, which will appear this chapter! So, credit goes to her!

I OWN NOTHING!

PS. You may find that I have a Halloween dance in my previous Marauder story, but that's just cause I love those old fashion dance ball thingies!

--

If there was ever a word to describe the Halloween Ball at Hogwarts, it would be: magnificent. This event only happened after every decade, and that meant that the students who had the privilege to experience it were sure to have the best sight their eyes have seen.

The ceiling of the Great Hall would be adorned with pure gold chandeliers, hanging feet above their heads, floating eerily in an 18th century grace. Those chandeliers would have multicolored fairies buzzing around it, and gold flecks flickered downward from the ceiling.

Round tables were scattered at the sides of the room, able to seat ten people each. The table setting was formal, from the various forks and knives to the ranging glass flutes and goblets, since the meal would have plenty of courses starting from the appetizers down until desert. Dominating the center of the room, was a smooth dancefloor made entirely out of glass, elevated at an inch and colored transparent silver.

At every corner, there were intimidating, unmoving statues of hard marble, etched like Greek gods and in poses of graceful fashion. Everything that you looked to, there would be a glint of elegance and marvel. It was impossible not to feel like dressing up for the occassion.

Because of the grand setting of this particular Ball at Hogwarts, there was a dresscode of wearing masks, and it was a strictly formal dresscode. The students spent that weekend to buy necessary things at Hogsmeade or get their things delivered by owl that week.

For the men, it was the perfect opporunity to look at pretty girls, and accidentally slip their hands into their dresses. Although the formalness repelled them, they seemed eager enough to get a date for it.

It was akward for Lily, being asked by so many admirers within a day. Sadly declining every one of the hopefuls, her thoughts would linger on the hazel eyes that she sought to look up at during that night.

In order to be distracted from this weird dazes, she would laugh at how Alex would stutter and fumble with the buttons of her blouse whenever someone would ask her.

"I-er-I've been thinking of not," Lily stood behind Alex, snickering as Alex stumbled over her words at the boy towering inches above them.

"Oh," was all he answered before turning around and slumping his shoulders in dejection.

"Why don't you answer any one of them?" Lily smirked as they passed the doors to the Great Hall, obliviously passing the longing eyes of guys that followed them.

"Why don't YOU?" Alex contradicted, mounting her plate with chicken and mashed potatoes. "And besides, Lal might think to ask me, and I certainly cannot tell him that I have a date when I'm his girlfriend."

"Fair point."

"What's NOT fair is you rejecting every boy that you encounter, and then hoping dreamily that a certain Potter would come and sweep you off your feet and lead you to your happy place, or whatever you call it."

"Fine," Lily slitted her eyes. "I'm saying yes to the next fanciable person who asks."

Right at that exact moment, a ravenhaired, blue eyed, delicious-looking Seventh year boy came up to her and asked her to be his date. She glanced at Alex, who was looking up at his pretty eyes in awe. Damn, and Lily thought that she could escape this. Alex caught her eye and smiled evilly. He happened to be Lily's ex.

"Okay," Lily said weakly, nodding. "I'll see you on Saturday then, Lucas."

Lucas smiled and the pretty blue eyes matched the set of white teeth that dazzled Lily momentarily. "All right then."

He sauntered off back toward the Ravenclaw table and grinned back at her cockily. Lily stared back in disbelief. There went her freedom to choose. What a waster.

"He was lovely," Alex chomped on her potatoes. "I dunno why you're moaning about being asked by good-looking people. And I don't understand why you broke up with him for no reason. Oh well, maybe something will happen to change your mind on Friday."

Lily shuddered at the thought. Sure, Luc was nice to look at with the eyes, and he did extremely well in school AND was an athlete AND was actually well grounded and nice, but she felt not an ounce of palpitations in her heart whenever she saw him.

It seemed significant that she could not find someone to like. If she could tell herself to be honest, she would definitely slap herself in the ace and scold herself for thinking of something so vulgar.

"Liiiiiily..." Alex crooned softly into her ear to get her attention. She was dazing off so much these days. "Are you listening to me?"

A fork with a chicken slice on it was suddenly waving in front of her face. It looked strangely appetizing right now. Lily cocked her head to the side and bit her teeth into it and smirked as Alex pulled the fork back and stared at the chickenless metal.

"I didn't say that you could take a bite of my lunch," she grumbled, slicing up another chicken breast and popping it into her mouth quickly, like Lily would snap at it at any time. "Chicken stealer."

Lily rolled her green eyes in amusement.

--

James stared glumly up at the decorated ceiling of the Entrance Hall. He was waiting for his Eli to show up, and so far, it's been thirty minutes and there wasn't any sight of her person. To entertain him, Sirius struggled to keep his three dates out of sight of each other. Sirius would constantly push each girl to one corner and then trot over to the other to push her to another corner, and when one was sane enough to look for him, he would hide next to James or push her back to her corner.

The Entrance Hall was already crowded with people in elaborate gowns and tuxedos, with their faces half-covered in masks. Some girls heads were even dyed for the occassion, making it harder for everybody else to know who they were.

In amazement, he stared as Alex started walking over to him in her black mask and black dress. There was something off though, her skin was pale and very unlike her tanned color. The only reason he thought that it was her was because of the blackness of her hair. But then, the mask came off and Lily's face emerged from behind it.

James yelped in surprise.

"Have you seen Lucas?" Lily asked with a flat voice. The reason he thought the hair was black was because of her mask, which, upon inspection, had a feathers of black and smooth threads at the top, which made it seemed like hair. She could have easily passed for a paler Alex.

"No."

"Well, have you seen Alex?"

"I thought she was you!"

"Good huh?" Lily grinned. "It is Halloween, so we decided, why the hell not to just dress as each other?"

"I hope your dates think so."

James was not in the mood to talk about this Ball thing. He didn't even want to go in the first place, not even if it was with Lily. Okay, maybe if it was with Lily, but this Ball was stupid anyway. But he definitely wasn't going to hang around waiting for her ex-probably soon to be again-boyfriend. He stoof up and stretched before waving and going through the crowd to find Eli.

Lily watched sadly at the retreating figure of James Potter. It infuriated her to think that he was leaving her alone to find his girlfriend. Why SHOULD that even bother her? He had no meaning in her life, besides being her partner for the Muggle Studies project, which they've already finished weeks ago.

There was a slinking arm suddenly at her waist and she turned around to see Lucas, in all his glory, his eyes glinting and his smile in place. Why did she have to choose this guy to be her first boyfriend?

"All right Lils?" he asked goodnaturedly, under his mask, she could detect the fancy he had for her. "You look nice, actually, more than nice."

"Thanks, Luc," Lily replied akwardly. "You look pretty good yourself."

"Shall we, then?" he offered his arm to her. She interlocked hers into his, his arms were bigger and more muscled than before.

"Have you been working out Lucas?" she blurbed out before she could stop herself, she even smiled. "Must be for a girl, huh?"

He smiled cockily and responded with, "Yeah, actually. Especially for a girl. I've had a lot of time and just lifted things and it just became a habit."

"Nice work out," Lily laughed. Here was the Lucas she liked. "Lifting things..."

On the other side of the Entrance Hall, James finally found Eli, and he was a bit astounded at what he saw. She looked uncommonly pretty for tonight. She was dressed in a subtle white corseted gown, with an exaggerated slit at the middle, bringing the eyes down to where her legs were milky white. And because of her whiteness, she looked very angelic indeed, making her usually dull eyes seem brighter, more appealing. Her hair was tied back without a hair out of place, and her mask was placed precariously on the top of her head so that James would recognize her.

Good thing she thought of showing her face, or James really wouldn't have recognized her.

"I'm sorry I took long," her forehead crumpled in worry. She looked extremely sorry for being late. It touched James a bit. Although she was annoying, he couldn't deny that she cared about him a lot. "My mom owled me and said that she was having problems at home and not to owl a letter until she sends one to me. It was becoming dangerous living alone at home."

"Death Eater problems?" James said bleakly, twining his finger around hers. This surprised her a bit, but she asked nothing of it.

She nodded, but them perked up, although her eyes were still dark. "Let's just go inside and have fun tonight."

He grinned and pulled her into the Great Hall, where everyone else was pushing into each other and hiding their hands under their tables.

--

Eventually, Lily lost her date. There was this fast song that they danced to, and she lost him while she spinned and spinned through the throngs of dancing bodies. Her head was dizzy, and she was pretty sure that someone spiked the beverages. In any case, all she needed was a lie down and she could get back to finding Lucas.

Her head hung on her hand as she steadied herself, sitting on the floor by the corner of the Adonis statue. She breathed in and out slowly, feeling the blood rush to her face and neck.

A figure suddenly hovered above her, and she looked up to find a masked figure. She couldn't see his face at all, just his lovely eyes. Those warm brown, whih looked hazel in the light. James Potter was here again!

He offered a hand toward her. Funny, he was darker than before. Very golden tanned-like. It must have been from Quidditch practices, the heat of the sun will probably brown you someime.

She tugged at it and he lead her out of the room and out into the open air of the grounds. It felt easier to breathe here, even if it was unreasonably cold. They walked in silence, until they reached the dark shadow of a tree.

Slowly, he reached for her face and cupped both of his hands on the side of her face. He leaned dwn and kissed her softly on her pink lips. Oddly enough, thinking that this was James Potter, she didn't want to protest. She just looked into his hazel eyes and a warmness surged through her body. She pressed herslef onto him and the softness turned on edge.

Her hands drifted to his chest, and she wildly scraped her fingers up and down onto his shoulders then back onto his chest. He held her tightly at the waist, his hands going underneath the folds of the dress and grabbing her thigh.

The cold chill of the air was suddenly hot. Lily knocked his mask off his face and he did the same to her. They both froze.

Instead of Potter standing in front of her, Lalic Addison was staring at her with horror-filled eyes. They looked brown now, the warm brown that she thought suited for Alex. In his hand was her mask, and in hers was his.

"What?" they whispered at the same time.

They were still stuck together, and Lily was too shocked to move. Lily exclaimed, "I thought you were someone else!"

"You looked like Alex so much, with the hair and--and--the--the," he stuttered, explaining himself.

They heard a quiet sob erupt from near them. They turned to look and Alex stood, more than a few yards away from them. Her eyes were pooling with tears, but had somehow not come down yet. She looked glorious in the moonlight, with her tinged lightened skin, glowing, but her face was crumpled and she was desperately trying to cover her eyes with her hands.

"Alex!" Lal yelled, jumping and then running toward her. "Why did you go here?"

"I was trying to find you," she ran her finger underneath her eye. "But I guess you were busy with my best friend."

"No! No! I thought she was you!"

"We've been together for so long, and you still don't know what I look like."

"It's not his fault," Lily added guiltily. "I thought he was James, so I let him."

"Okay," Alex said, closing her eyes. "Then, I just want you two to leave me alone for awhile. Do not come near me at all. I need to get that image out of my head, and I have to try to fit in how you guys thought that you were another person. I'm not mad, but just..."

Still gracefully, she walked back toward the Dark Forest with her pace breaking into a fast run, her hands covering her face.

Lal attempted to run after her, but Lily held his wrist to hold him back. "I'd follow what she says if I were you."

He glowered at her. "She doesn't know what's good for her."

"Trust me," Lily replied darkly. "She knows herself too much. She'd just get angrier at you for not doing what she says."

Seeming to not know what else to do, he slumped his shoulders and sat on the ground. Lily, not wanting to be alone with him, in case Alex might think that they were at it again, sifted slowly back to the Castle.

This wasn't what she had in mind at all. Looking up at the full moon, she thought that she was having the night unexpected perfectly.

--

It felt good to be free. That stuffy party was a relief to get away from. Good thing it was a full moon, now James and his mates could run around in their Animagus forms again.

James felt the joints in his bones work maniacally. They were in the Forest and Moony was yards away from them, running wildly around, sniffing the scents of everything around him. Beside him, Padfoot had his tongue lolling out of his mouth. James made sure not to step on Wormtail.

They's been out for an hour already, and it was just another full moon. An ordinary night as any. But James' highly trained ears suddenly heard a cry that was very human. The breathing and extra sounds gave away that she was crying, sobbing. Yes, James was sure that it was a she.

They spotted her faster than she could have found them. Alex was walking around aimlessly in the wood, tears streaming down her face. James felt a brotherly urge to hug her, and ask what was wrong. But before they could think of anything else to do, Moony suddenly came charging at her.

Padfoot flung himself into the way, Moony's teeth hazardly closely in line with Padfoot's neck. Alex still hadn't noticed that she almost got killed by a werewolf. Padfoot and Moony were still tearing at each others' throats with their razorsharp teeth. James just watched in apalled horror. He hadn't perceived this to happen tonight, and he wasn't sure if he should help Padfoot in restraining Moony, since James was wise enough not to get in a squabble when Padfoot was involved.

For some reason, Moony was able to get away from Padfoot and come at Alex again, who was looking down at the ground, pondering on something. Padfoot moved his paws as fast as they would go, but Moony was too far away. Alex finally heard paws coming onto the ground and screamed when she saw a werewolf snarling at her while panting after her.

She fled easily. She was fast, but only to the point that she wasn't bitten yet. Moony was still hot on her tail. And then he caught up to her, knocking her off of her feet. Moony hovered above her, his furry head bent, James watched, still frozen at the whimper that escaped Alex's lips. She didn't look afraid, only determined.

Padfoot launched out of nowhere and hit Moony on the side with full force, making Moony stumble and be a few feet away from Alex.

"Snuffles?" James heard Alex say, before she got her wand out of the folds in her gown. The wand was immediately tossed out of her hand as Moony hit it violently. Padfoot had his teeth sunken into Moony's neck to hold him back.

James had finally come to hid senses and galloped to where Padfoot pulled, his teeth bare. James charged in front of Moony, and pushed him with his horns. He successfully got Moony out of the way and out of view from Alex. Padfoot disappeared when he was sure that James could handle it, and Moony wouldn't lose control.

Sirius trotted off to where Alex sat, a heap on the ground. Her torso was placed in the center beautifully, surrounded by the thick fabrics of silk and chiffon and lace from her black dress.

Her hands were demurely placed in her lap, and her dark eyes were looking straight at the dog in front of her. Her face was shaped into what looked like curiosity, fear was nothing that consumed her face at all. Faint tear tracks were etched into her golden brown skin, but the glint in her eyes were something that contrasted it greatly.

She made no sign of movement nor beckoned him to come to her.

"What are you doing here?" she said in a dead voice. She shook her head. "Obviously, you cannot answer me, so, I'll just leave and try to forget this strange and crazy night never happened."

Sirius wanted to come and leap into her lap, to have her scratch his ears and bury her face into his black fur. He moved quickly, and went over to her side in a blur of blackness. His eyes pleaded in agony, that she understand the situation without any questions.

"But then again, I'm too cowardly to be alone tonight."

He nodded his black head in eagerness. What he wouldn't give to have her by his side all night, just to make sure that she was safe.

"Show me who you are. I know that you are an Animagus."

He shook his head.

"Why not? Are you scared that if I knew, then I would be angry?"

He nodded.

"I just want to see who saved me, to thank you properly, right in your face."

Sirius thought about it. It wasn't that he was afraid that his secret would be known, but fearful that she would be replused that she had revealed so much to him in the past. After a few seconds, he got onto all fours and felt his bones shapen back into human, and his black fur disappearing into his skin. In a few short moments, he was back to being Sirius Black, pale and handsome.

Alex didn't look surprised or frustrated. She actually smiled. "Why am I not shocked that it's you?"

"You're not mad?" Sirius asked disbelievingly.

"How could I ever get mad at you? You're too likeable for your own good. Charming is the right word for it."

"Is that meant to be a compliment?" Sirius stifled a laugh.

"I guess so," Alex murmured. "At least I can talk to you and not feel like an utter idiot talking to a shaggy black dog."

Sirius only laughed weakly.

They sat next to each other in akward silence, which was pretty akward, since they've never had an akward silence with each other before, and surely never had akwardness when they were conversing with other people. Once in a while, she would purse her lips and open them again, like she was about to say something, before deciding that it was a bad idea and closing her mouth again.

"So now what?" Sirius said, not able to stand the tension between them. The space that kept them away from each other felt oddly electric to him. "Are you going to go back to that Halloween thing, or let me go back to attending to Moony?"

"That Ball was atrocious," she mumbled, glaring at the golden lights that escaped through the Great Hall windows. "A sorry excuse for something to be called grand. There wasn't even an open bar! And it was far less formal than it seemed, people grinding into each other wherever you turned."

"I liked it," Sirius lied, daring to oppose. "Gwen and I had fun hiding from everyone else."

"Well that's you, isn't it?"

"What's got your knickers in a twist?"

"I'm not telling you," she said bitterly. "And I hope that you won't try to find out."

"Only if you ask me to."

She stared at him suspiciously. "You're not always this cooperative. What have yo done with Sirius Black?"

Sirius grinned mischievously, "I kidnapped him and stuffed him in a bag of potatoes, and then he's being burned in the oven of the kitchens right now. Probably being served to the partygoers inside."

She shook her head affectionately, a smile on her glowing face.

--

A/N-Alrighty! All I need are more suggestons and reviews and I'm all good! Thanks for everything! Hope you liked it! xoxo's.


	12. Drastic

A/N-Okay, I've been trying hard to squeeze in some time for writing...typing, and then...been thinking of ideas to get the gist of things. I've been ruffling through my old accounts, and found inspiration!

I don't own anything, as I have said before. Do I need to repeat it? Apparantely, I am.

--

If there were words to describe how drastically Lily and Alex's friendship changed, everyone would take one look and wonder at how distant and stiff they had become to each other. Normally, they would be stuck at the hip, laughing their heads off at some joke one of them had come up with.

Nowadays, they would see Lily roaming around the school, surrounded by heaps of admirers, while Alex joined the Marauders, and when she was alone, was surrounded by equally, if not more, admirers than Lily.

There was a question in people's heads, at what had happened.

Surely this wasn't going to last long. Not when the two of them had been inseperable for years.

This routine went on for a few more weeks, when they started smiling and laughing with each other again. During the course of those dull weeks, Sirius and Alex had finally finished the motorcycle that they built for Muggle Studies.

At class, it was dubbed impressive by the teacher and it looked sleek and black, although rough and rugged at the same time. If they ever had the chance to use it, it would probably work as well as the othr motorcycle vehicles being sold in the muggle world. Secretly, Alex and Sirius bewtiched it to be able to fly. Just something that they thought of doing, just to make it more magical than muggle.

Slowly, the Castle was back to the ease that inhabited it whenever the girls were at peace with each other. Although nobody ever found out what happened between the two to make them evade each other so, this environment was preferable that no one dared to ask.

School continued eventfully. With the Marauders being so long gone with the trouble-making, mostly James and Sirius, they cracked many days and would go on rampage, which would entertain everyone, everyone except the Slytherins.

One particular lunch, after coming from her consultations, Lily walked in on an extremely wet Great Hall, with the floor slippery with water and everywhere else splattered in foamy bubbles. It bewildered her when Alex trotted toward her, her whole uniformed body covered in thin foam. Her face was masked with a gentle smile, eyes mellow, just like she was before. Lily missed seeing her this way, since the events of the start of the schoolyear stressed Alex so enirely that it brought out a new side to her.

"Want lunch?" she crooned to Lily, grabbing her hand and leading her to the slippery wet bench of the Gryffindor table.

"What did I miss?" Lily wondered, eyeing Alex's soapy self warily.

Alex shrugged, nibbling on the pasta her mother owled for her that hour, sealed magically. "When I came in, there were thousands of floating balloons and then, when there were a lot of people here for lunch, they finally dropped. Turns out it was filled with a mixture of the bathsoap from the Prefects bathroom and water."

"James and Sirius?" Lily guessed, sighing. She'd have to punish them if the teachers fail to do so before her.

"And the other two too! I think Remus gave them the idea, since he said the other day that the Great Hall was becoming too filthy, and then Peter said that it should be cleaned up. You know James and Sirius, interpreting it in other ways..."

"Funny," Lily said sarcasticaly, revolted at the bitter taste of the pork chops. There went her lunch.

"It was fun actually," she reminisced the five minutes ago. "Except for the parts when the other girls were shrieking in my ears because their hair was ruined." She sniggered.

"Have you finished the Translation of Murdock the Fearful? I've been working all night just to find out what the one with the wierd spike at the top of the figure in the second tablet meant."

"That rune?" Alex looked up at her in mystification. "That's the easiest. Means war."

Lily fumed at the failure of the books that she had researched on the night before. Because of that minor little missing piece of information, she had to start the whole translation again, since she had misinterpreted the word and all the other runes seemed out of place because of the missing piece.

The next following days had excitement in the air for the next Gryffindor match, against Slytherin too. Both teams were being violated and damaged at every chance by the opposing House. Alex was the only one blissfully unaware of the constant jinxes and spells which were directed at her male teammates. She would be the only girl on the Quidditch Pitch that Saturday, making her practically immune, and another factor which kept her safe was her undeniable gorgeousness that not even the Slytherin males could cast a feeble charm at.

But when it came to being out of danger from the rest if the Slytherins, meaning the girls, she was the main target on the Gryffindor team. Funnily, she never got hit by any danger, since one of her teammates would conveniently be in the vicinity, blocking the hex thrown at her.

James and Sirius were doing fairly well evading the spells and angry hisses at them. The only closest proximity to being harmed was when James was talking to one of his teammates, when he suddenly got the breath knocked out of him when a red beam of light came from behind him. His face hit the wall roughly, and he immediately got to his feet, aiming at the first person he saw holding their wand out.

Without another thought, he launched a Stunning spell at the person and the Slytherin crumpled to the ground.

End of threat. No one dared to come at him again.

Saturday rolled by fastly, before the teams could even realize anything. It was a cloudy day, the weather didn't know whether or not to pour any rain or remain sunless. For whatever decision, James was hoping that it would remain dry. Although they had better chances at winning if it was raining, he'd rather get this over with immdeiately, with Alex getting the Snitch within the next five minutes. James specifically instructed her not to take the Snitch after it's been released, so that they could put in a few more points to head them up the scoreboard.

She had not been known to feint during any matches, so James' strategy was to get her to feign seeing the Snitch massive of times, and then when she really does see the Snitch, the other Seeker's trust would be diminished and doubt whether or not she was playing tricks again or seeing the real thing. Obviously, when she would feign the seeing, the other team would be preoccupied with trying to find it as well and try avoiding her getting it.

He waited silently while everyone was getting ready in the locker rooms. Once they had their crimson robes draped over themsleves, the team huddled up around James, jittery from hearing the footsteps outside the tent. It was something exquisite to see the team so calm, almost melancholy. Normally, other teams would be scared and nervous out of their wits, but these Gryffindors were so sure of themsleves that they found anxiety to be a weakness.

The signal came to them to start heading out. James put his fist in the middle of the circle and they topped their hands on his.

"Gryffindor," James whispered and smiled.

"Gryffindor," they all murmured back.

When they were under the gray skies, James watched penisvely at the opposing team wearing green and silver. The referee ordered them to shake. James and the Slytherin captain crushed each other's hands in that brief shake. Truthfully, it did hurt, but James made no sign of weakness. There were no mistakes allowed, not even a hint of pain for motivation.

The first whistle. They mounted their brooms and by the second whistle came, when the balls were also released, no player was left on the ground. James grabed the Quaffle instantly, and flying halfway to the goal and then passing it to a teammate. His assist helped them score the first goal.

After five other goals into the ring, Alex feigned and zoomed away speedily, making a very good show that she saw the Snitch. Predictably, the Slytherin Seeker, who was Sirius' younger brother Regulus, followed in persuit, eyes flashing for a glint of gold. Alex continued her pace until she met one of the stands, the one where the Slytherins watched. Suddenly, she shot up, while Regulus continued in surprise and clashed with his fellows. The stand shook threateningly.

Behind him, James heard the distinct barklike laugh from Sirius. James grinned up at him.

"Nice one Alex!" he heard Sirius shout after her. She grinned back mischievously in response, and zoomed away again.

The game continued on with another six goals in. This was becoming a bit dull for James, and so he signalled for Alex to catch the Snitch. She had feigned for another two times in the past thirty minutes and was circling the Pitch in an attempt to show that she was looking for the Snitch, when in truth, she knew that it was fluttering near the Gryffindor goalposts.

She flew nonchalantly to where the Snitch was squirming around, still unaware of her persuit. No one noticed her either. She was planning to creep to it and catch it, but then it outsmarted her and started zooming to the other goal. She was forced to reveal her intentions to catch the Snitch and followed it quickly.

She felt Regulus hot on her tail, and she pressed her body to her broom until she was flat on it and it sped faster. Inches from it now, and she extended her hands. In one feeting second, her hands enveloped the little gold ball and she halted to a stop to show that she caught it.

James watched in triumph. Triumph immediately turned into horror as he witnessed, with so many others, a Bludger aimed at her by a Slytherin. The Bludger hurtled into her skull, giving out an audible crack throughout the whole Pitch. And she was headed toward the ground in the same second. Her fall looked slow and fast at the same time. She fell unconsciously, and yet gracefully. At the same time, she was a blur, too fast to see.

Instinctively, James and the rest of the team dove to rescue her from getting a worse injury than her cracked skull. Sirius was the one nearest her, and his face was contorted in a look of pain and fear.

His hand was stretched out to grab her waist. Inches from the ground, Sirius caught her and hoisted her across his lap, and she was cradled in his arms, with her head bleeding frighteningly. Her face was hardly distinguishable, for her blood was splattered across it in bright crimson. The crack was easily seen, a hideous line formed behind her head, revealing a bit of broken tissues.

Enraged, Sirius handed her over to James when they hit the ground, and he drew out his wand and started cursing and hexing every Slytherin in sight. The players of the other team fell to the ground, their bodies panting in exertion to breathe and catch their breath. Sirius stomped to where the Beater who hit Alex was, and grabbed the front of his robes roughly and pulled his fist back and let it fling itself into his face with all the strength that Sirius could muster.

After that, every single thrust and punch and kick that Sirius did was too violent to describe. The Slytherin lay on the ground, bleeding as much as Alex was, his left eye swelling unnaturally. Sirius spat at him and cursed at him for a last time, before turning back and hurrying to Alex.

"Black!" McGonagall said sharply, once she too got over the unexpected act that Sirius did. "That was--!"

"Punish me later!" he turned to her menacingly, looking like a deranged lunatic. "Alex first!"

Forgetting that he could do magic, he pulled her up into his arms and started sprinting off to the castle to get to the Hospital Wing.

James was alarmed by the alertness of his best friend and followed Lily when he saw her sprinting after Sirius at a determined gait. He caught up easily, able to speak.

"You all right?" he asked, panting and jogging.

"Me?" Lily asked incredulously, a stitch forming in her side already. "Alex is the one who should be of concern."

"Thought that you'd get diminished, seeing your friend throttled like that."

"I did, don't you notice?"

James turned his head and realized, for the first time, tear tracks on Lily's pretty face, pale and scared.

There wasn't much breath in them to keep talking, and so, they ran as fast as they could toward the Castle.

--

Lily stayed in the Hospital Wing for two days, and so did Sirius. With both of them there, James remained faithfully by their side, leaving only to get them food and drink, since they refused to get up from Alex's side. The teachers felt smypathy enough to leave them alone, and they stopped by the Hospital Wing daily to give the homeworks and lessons instead.

Alex still wasn't awake. Her entire head was wrapped in bandages, like a turban. Madame Pomfrey fixed her up, but the 'turban' had to be changed every six hours, since blood would ooze out continuously. Essence of dittany did good, but not enough to seep through her head to heal.

Another two days.

Lily was reading one of the requirements for Arithmancy. She saw, by the peripheral view of her eye, her friend shift in her bed. The first sign of movement in four days. Immediately, she got up and sat on the bed. Her eyes widened in anticipation. She felt Sirius kneel on the floor beside her.

"Anything?" he whispered, hoarse from not speaking in long periods of time.

They observed Alex for a few more minutes, but she made no other response.

Finally impatient, Lily brought her lips to where Alex's ear was supposed to be. "Hey, are you awake?"

There was a small groan that issued from Alex's pale lips. "Five more minutes..."

Sirius laughed relief. "Here I thought that she forgot who she was!"

Slowly, her eyes opened, though not much of a difference. Her eyes were still droopy and tired. Her lips parted, as if she wanted to utter something.

"Alex?" Sirius asked.

"Who's Alex?" was the reply.

--

A/N-Wee! It was a chapter that I wanted to be suspenseful, for once in my life...it is very short compared to the others, but I hope you liked it anyway. Reviews and suggestions for a plot please! xoxo's.


	13. Lovely

A/N-Hey guys! I intend this to be a very long chapter, so get ready to have your heads hurting, because it'll be pasted to the screen (unless you like, want to take a break or something). =))

I do not own anything.

--------

"Who's Alex?" she repeated, with vague, indistinct eyes.

"Joke's over, love," Sirius patted her hand nervously. "You've got us all gone mental already."

Alex continued looking up at him blankly, no hint if a smile on her full lips.

James suddenly entered, three sandwhiches in hand. "I got the turkey, and I dunno about you Padfoot, but I think you'll like the ham...MERLIN! Alex is awake!"

Silence.

"What are you all not celebrating for?" James smirked. "I thought this was the awaited moment of arising!"

"Who are you?" Alex asked with bright interest, like a child wanting to learn. "And who is she? And he?"

"Are you really going to keep this up?" Lily said seriously, not blinking...or breathing.

The door to Madame Pomfrey's office swung open and out emerged the Madame herself. At the sight of the awakened Alex, she had the same reaction as James, only a hundred times more powerful.

"How are you feeling dear?" she came to Alex's side, shoving Lily out of the way. "A bit drowsy? Or numb?"

"I feel fine," Alex replied simply. "And you are...?"

Madame Pomfrey blinked in shock. "What do you mean by it?"

"Mean by what?"

Pomfrey looked at Lily and Sirius for help, but they shrugged in response. Sirius muttered, "She was the same way to us."

Pomfrey's eyes got wider, adn slowly turned a bit glassy. "Do you remember anything?" she directed at Alex.

Alex srcunched up her face in concentration, it looked pained and determined. But then she sighed heavily and slumped into her pillows. "No. I remember nothing. Not of my name or what I look like, or my family. I don't remember who you are either."

"You take Muggle Studies don't you?" Pomfrey said in a defeated voice to the three, standing in silent mortification. "You probably know what this is, and it certainly happens to humans."

"Amnesia?" Lily breathed. "But wizardfolk fall of brooms every time and crack their heads! They don't have that! How come hers turned out different?"

"I don't know."

Sirius ruffled his hair in frustration. "What happens now then?"

"She'll get her memory back," Pomfrey said surely. "I daresay that she'll regain hers faster than a muggles' because she's a witch. No worries. We just have to jog her memory and surprise her with outbursts that may seem familiar to her. It'll come back to her."

"Are you sure?" James asked politely.

"Not entirely."

Sirius, finding the patience to compose his face and sit by Alex's side again, smiled with friendliness at her. "I'm Sirius."

"Hello Sirius," Alex chimed. "I'm...?"

"Alex," he finished for her. "I knew you ever since we were born. Quite close, you and I."

"Really?" her eyes brightened. "That's pleasant."

"I'm Lily," Lily interrupted, feeling uncomfortable in introducing herself to the girl that knew her better than she knew herself. "I'd be happy to think that I was your best friend."

"James," James put in, seeing that everyone sounded like the first day of school all over again. "Nice to meet you again Alex."

"Where am I?"

"Hogwarts, it's a school for wizards and witches," Sirius said, like he was talking to a five-year old. "You got hit by a ball in the head and cracked your skull, and fell off your broom. That's why you can't remember anything."

"Can you give me my wand?" Alex uttered involuntarily, it flowed sinuously out of her lips. "I remember spells."

"Brilliant." And Sirius handed her her wand, which he kept in his robes since she fell.

"Wingardium Leviosa," she muttered quietly, swishing and flicking. A chocolate frog card by the bedside table hovered a few feet above them. "Ahh...simple magic. I think I'll get the hang of it in a short while."

----------

After a day, people took advantage of Alex not remembering anything about her life. Many boys told her that they were dating her, before promptly getting hit in the face by Sirius, who played the role of bodyguard. Even Lily, feeling a protective urge to shove past people who were trying to be too friendly with Alex, hit some faces with her own fist.

Class resumed for them. Alex learned quickly, despite not being able to recall anything. She seemed to know all her lessons already, and it was evident that the only missing piece of memory in her mind was her whole life story.

One week after she woke up, she went back to the Hospital Wing to get an examination, to see if she was improving. Sirius came with her. Lily, being too busy with James, who was now her constant companion because of his consoling words and encouragement.

After an hour of waiting in the Common Room, she decided to go to the Wing to see what was keeping them. When she came in, she saw Alex in white robes, only worn when you were to stay the night at the Wing. Alex was cradled in Sirius' arms, leaning her head on his shoulder while she sat on his lap. Her eyes looked unusually sorrowful, and her hand intertwined within Sirius'.

"It'll be all right," Lily heard Sirius croon into her ear. Lily ducked behind a bed and listened. "You'll get it back soon."

"But I want it now," Alex complained, her voice familiar to Lily, it was her voice when she was about to cry. "It feels like there's a missing part of me. I don't feel whole at all, but strangely, my heart feels warm toward you. I remember you vaguely, and Lily too."

"You knew me long."

"And yet I don't see a sudden flash of realization of who I am, or who you are."

"I guess it has to be something that you know the best. Some occurence that'll stir your thoughts entirely."

"Who was that guy whose name was Lal?" she questioned, gazing up at Sirius' dark eyes unfathomably. "He seemed extremely familiar."

"You're dating him," mumbled Sirius.

"Really?" her eyes were wide. "He's pretty, but you're pretty too. Are you like my brother?"

There was no reply.

Lily thought it the best time to appear from her hiding place. Sirius struggled out of Alex's grip with a thankful glint in his eye. Lily felt a surge of pity and affection for Sirius. They got quite close while Alex was out of it. She grieved for Sirius, being able to love from afar. Lily never perceived Sirius as someone who could fall in love; he was too rebellious for that. But the devotion he put into being rejected and having unreturned feelings from the girl he only ever felt serious about...it was hard watching him struggle, receiving nothing back from all his efforts.

"Why is she staying the night?" Lily said, trying to change the heavy mood.

"Just observation stuff, nothing too serious." Alex replied. "The madame doesn't feel the need to ask for my parents yet. She says that if I don't get my memory back within the holidays, that's the only time she would call them up. Dumbledore agrees, so I'm not in any worry."

"She's a lot more headstrong since she woke up, if you ask me..." Sirius muttered, chuckling under his breath. "Doesn't care too much about anything, really."

"Uh, she's no different from the Alex before."

"Can you two keep quiet?" Alex interrupted, her finger to her lips. "I'm trying to guess what's going on outside."

The pair of them shut their mouths and listened, hearing a strange gurgling noise outside the door. It sounded oddly familiar to Sirius, and the sound made Lily's stomach squirm uncomfortably. They've heard this before, they just couldn't remember WHEN.

The door gave out and a tide of water rushed into the room, giving a powerful wave and knocking them out of their feet. Sirius coughed the water out of his lungs in annoyance. The water was eight feet deep. What the hell happened in here?

The water started draining and Lily waded outside. The staircase served as the plumbing system, showering unexpected students with a waterfall of water pouring down their heads. There were yelps of indignance and peals of laughter. Lily wondered at the odd occurence,

"Oops," Lily heard behind her. She turned around slowly, with confused eyes. Alex stood behind her, dripping wet in her white confinement dress, with her undergarments evident due to the clinging wet state of the cloth.

"Oops?" Lily repeated. "Oops for what?"

"Er, I kind of broke the plumbing. Opened the water pipes...? Must've leaked or something, then burst."

"What did you do?" Lily said incredulously.

"Flung a spell at the thing, I didn't know what it was. It just sealed up and I thought that the pipe was fixed?" Alex said it like it was a question, unsure.

Something clicked inside Lily's brain. This kind of flood thing happened in their second year, when Alex blasted a wall accidentally, and coincidentally, it had the pipes with pumping water in it. It submerged the entire Great Hall and Entrance Hall into twelve feet of water. They had to take their meals in their common rooms for a week. It was lucky that Alex didn't get expelled.

As funny as this new situation was, Alex suddenly expelled fits of coughs. It was scary to watch, since those coughs were the small kinds that were a threat to the health. And as frightening as THAT already was, her hands, which covered her mouth, had revealed blood when she put it down. Lily stood, horrified, watching her best friend cough up blood out of her mouth.

"Help!" Lily managed to shriek out of her mouth. "Help!"

She rushed over to Alex and half dragged her back to the Hospital Wing, where Pomfrey, who still wasn't over the flood of water, looked utterly pissed. At the sight of Alex, Pomfrey forgot everything and scrambled over to her, making her sit on the bed, leaning forward so that no blood could go to her lungs.

"What happened?" Pomfrey screamed frantically, moving around the Wing quickly, grabbing bottles of potions that Lily couldn't decipher what they were for. "Get Dumbledore!" the madame shrieked.

Lily ran out of the rom, scared out of her wits, heading over to Dumbledore's office. What the hell? What the hell? What the hell? kept repeating inside her mind.

Before she even reached the office, Dumbledore came gliding ahead of her, heading to the Wing, the twinkle gone from his eyes and barked sharp questions at her. She followed silently, answering as rationally as she could.

"Mr Black," Dumbledore said when he saw Sirius inside the Wing. "As I think that Ms. Evans would not be able to leave her friend for this errand, may I request that you send a note to Ms. Hernandez's parents telling her that they are needed now."

--

"She remembers nothing?" her mother asked Dumbledore quietly, surveying her daughter, sleeping soundly. "About who she is, or who I am?"

"She can remember every lesson and every other detail in school, except of her life and the people that have been in it," Dumbledore replied in equal lowness of voice. "My apologies for not foreseeing the urgency of your knowledge of the situation."

"Quite all right."

"The arrangements have been made for her to remain home until she recovers completely."

"Thank you."

Lily listened in silence as Lady Hernandez and Dumbledore had their adult talk. The prospect of being seperated from Alex in a time that remained unanswered, was undaunting. How could she know if her best friend was well? Could her condition be so extremely horrible, that she had to leave?

Hours later, Lily and Sirius were left waiting alone in the Wing while Dumbledore and Lady Hernandez had gone to collect Lord Hernandez from the Entrance Hall. Lily was seated in the corner, half concealed in the dark. She watched as Sirius bent his head over Alex's face and tears started spouting from his white face.

"I love you Alex," he whispered, and it heard from where Lily sat, because of the magnified silence that was brought with his words. "Get well soon."

Lily's heartbeats remained even, even as Sirius bent his head and kissed Alex gently on the lips. She should have been outraged, for Sirius doing that. But seeing that he wasn't doing anything to her, only doing acts of love, Lily let it pass, trying not to ruin the private moment. Did it even matter, when Alex was unconscious?

Perhaps she felt dejected, for not being able to find someone who would love her so. What beauty mattered when no right man ever showed his face to offer is hand for her? Did she appear so immersed in schoolwork, that no one bothered taking her muggleborn nerdiness for themselves? Where would life even lead her after school? WOuld she just work a job for the rest of her life and live monotonously, living only for work? Dull.

Bitter tears streamed down her face, while her vision was obscured by it. She always said that love couldn't buy happiness, so what was she doing now? Crying over unknown love like some old wrinkly sixty year old.

I am such a selfish old bore, Lily thought to herself. I should be thinking about my friend right now, who looks like she'll be in a coma.

Her tears kept coming when she saw that Lord Hernandez entered with his wife, with the intention of taking their daughter away with them. Lily wanted to scream at them, to let her stay. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, while she heard sounds of a body being hoisted and footsteps going away in the distance.

She opened her eyes to an empty room. Lily stood up and walked around the halls aimlessly, feeling alone. She felt arms go around her from behind, and she embraced the person back, feeling grateful. As she turned around, she looked to his hazel eyes, and a feeling of warmness surged through her body. Why was it that James Potter could comfort her so easily?

"Calm down love," he said soothingly, rubbing his hand from the top of her head then down her hair to the neck, and back again. "Shush. Don't worry yourself, she'll be back."

Lily remained silent, restraining herself from running and to never look back again. But that would be terribly wasteful. She looked up at him with her lovely green eyes, and he was taken aback.

Her eyes looked so innocent, it looked so transparent, like they were seeing into his soul. Blindly, he lead her up into the common room. She sat down onto the armchair heavily, and sighed sorrowfully.

When it was nearly two in the morning, Lily went up to the Dormitory room, and she immediately went over to Alex's trunk, which was still there, forgotten and unneeded where she was staying.

She ruffled through the stuff inside, laughing silently when she saw a red corset with thick silk ruffles where the bum would be underneath. And with that provocative red corset were glittery black knickers and black fishnets, with the garters and sexy stockings completing the burlesque 1900's moulin rouge effect of the undergarments.

What was Alex doing bringing this outfit around in school?

Lily constructed hilarious little bits and images in her mind at what Alex was planning with this. She imagined Alex wearing this to class one day, simply because she had mistaken it for her school uniform, or because it was just a slow day. Lily sniggered at what reaction McGonagall would come up with and grinned at the knowing that there would definitely be something new to talk about in school.

Lily sighed. School. It seemed so long ago that she was just studying. Get back to work...

----------

December rolled on quietly, like someone had died and everyone was grieving at the loss. Truthfully, it did feel like someone died. More than once, Lily would get annoyed and scream at the people simply because of their stupid sense of mind. Sirius himself started hitting people because they acted like Alex was dying or something.

Her moods only brightened when the holidays started and she went home. The family gathering her back home was a sweet affair. Even her uncle Jeff, who had been living in Australia for the past ten years was there. It but her heart to see Tuney still a bitter old hag, standing alone in the back, sulking at the attention that Lily was claiming.

Mum and dad finally got her into the house, with uncle Jeff and aunt Maris trailing behind them. Cousins Jake and Lizzie smirked as Lily turned beetred, because they knew that Lily didn't like attention. Grandmum Evans was inside, her hair white and a warm smile on her face. Her cousin Jane brought Lily's niece, and little Elyse scrambled onto Lily's lap in eagerness.

They sat by the fireplace all night, singing Christmas carols, until Elyse started yawning and Jane brought her up to their room to get her to sleep. Everything was quiet downstairs, while Lily sat cradled in her mother's lap and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows in it.

A week before Christmas, Lily received an invitation from the Potters about a New Year party, held on December 31. Her family was invited too (with the exception of Petunia, who would refuse to go anyway).

Lily went with her dad to buy the tree. They bought a fresh one, smelling like pine and was absolutely healthy and green. Together with her parents, her cousins and her niece, they put up the decorations on it. The Christmas CD was on and her dad opened a bottle of gold champagne and offered flutes of it.

Elyse pouted when Jane didn't allow her one sip and remained silent until Lizzie waved a cookie in front of her face tauntingly, saying that she couldn't have it until she forgave mummy. Elyse gave in shamelessly, and chomped on the cookie happily.

On Christmas morning, Lily woke up to the smell of cinammon and chocolate chip cookies. She came down and received her family's hugs and kisses and cries of Merry Christmas. The foot of the tree was filled with presents that stocked up during the weeks, waiting to be opened. Lily noticed that the pile was bigger than yesterday, and found names from her schoolmates, and surprisingly, from Alex.

She caressed the moment when she opened Alex's and James' presents. Her tears spilled when she opened her eyes to similar lingerie that she found in Alex's trunk. It had been the girls' secret joke that Lily had ghastly taste in undergarments. Alex had joked about buying her knickers for her for the rest of their lives.

Did that mean that Alex had her memory back? It was a hope that Lily clung on to while she peeled James' gift open.

Inside the blue box was a silver jewelry box. As she opened it, two figurines of a silver man and woman twirled and twirled in dance. 'A Time for Us' composition played on with it, in sweet tune. Lily watched the little figurines that were stuck together in dance. The attention to detail was exquisite.

Her family and she had a nice cozy breakfast by the tree, Lily sat on the floor, nibbling on the gingerbread man that her mother bought early in the morning. The stress that had been welled up inside her was dimming. She couldn't believe what kind of pain reliever her family had turned out to be.

Beside her, as she opened up the present earlier in shock, was a slinky red dress that she tried on while she was with Lizzie, intention for the New Years Eve party, but had not been able to get it because she was low on money at the moment and stared sadly at the dress as they hung it back on the racks. Unknowingly, Lizzie had gotten it for her.

She stared at Lizzie when she opened the present and jumped up and down with joy and hugged Lizzie so tightly, that her favorite cousin almost suffocated. Elyse was overjoyed at the reaction of her auntie and smiled the whole time, like she was in on the secret.

It had been a pleasant morning altogether. Grandmum prepared the entire meal for lunch, and Jake kept teasing Lily about who her new boyfriend was. Her impulse was to take her wand and jelly legs him, but she controlled her whim and stuck her tongue out at him.

On the day of the New Years Eve party, the house was in chaos with the people running around everywhere, screaming where their jewels were and where the other pair of their shoes were. Dad had one of his tempers and refused to get out of the room, until Lily alohamora'd it to let her mother in. It was heaven to finally be in her red dress, and strappy heels, meaning that all she had to do was wait for her frantic family to get over themsleves.

It was a hard time getting to James' wizarding village, since her father couldn't exactly SEE where it was. Lily didn't have a license, but she drove instead, since she was the only one who wasn't blind. Thankfully, Petunia was stuck at home babysitting Elyse, so the car wasn't low on patience.

Jake, Lizzie and Jane were excited to go to a wizarding house, while her mum and dad tried drowning out their excited yelps when they reached the house. Apprantely, the Potters had their house able to be seen bby muggles tonight.

James' parents greeted them at the door warmly, and they hung their coats in the closet near the door. Lily introduced herself and then her family, who was oggling at the grand house, to her embarrassment.

Mrs. Potter was a shapely woman, plump but curvy. Her face had a motherly smile in it, and her twinkling eyes were warm. Mr. Potter was a handsome man, although he wasn't exactly in his youth. He had gray streaks in his black hair, and creases in his eyes when he smiled. Both were probably in their late fifties, but they seemed young and vibrant, with the way they spoke and their funny gestures.

Lily started heading toward the ballroom, leaving her family to their own devices. Jake started eyeing all the pretty faces around him, and Lizzie had her flirty face on, they were fine without her.

Lily spotted James with Sirius and his mates. She immediately felt intimidated. She was one of the girls; what would they think when she asked to hang out with them? She felt out of place, wishing that one of her mates were here. She ducked toward the open bar and ordered a white wine, from the darkhaired bartender.

Only after half an hour did she notice that there was a girl with the men. Her eyes widened, wishing that she had the same personality as the girl, who could easily be one of the boys. It was Alex, looking dazzling in black. She was in a short dress, a kind like it was corseted and it fit her body perfectly, hugging it and the minimal ruffles were spread in lines vertically on the torso and horizontally on the waist and hem.

Her smile was bright and her black hair shiny, but there was something wrong with her usually tanned skin, which was now a bit lighter than before, and looked somewhat unhealthy. Feeling a new sense of bravery, with her best friend in the midst of that crowd. She strode over to them confidently, her head held high and her heels clicking loudly on the marble floor; she felt heads turn and the white wine going to her head.

"Look who's here!" Alex said and nodded her head at her, like a boy. "Hey Lils."

There were murmurs of greeting from the guys, who looked like their fun was over since Lily arrived. Her heart sank a bit, seeing that even though Alex was her best friend, it didn't mean that she was automatically gaining acceptance from everyone.

"Finally!" James said enthusiastically. "c'mon guys, let's go up to my room."

"You're leaving me with this old bore?" Alex teased, smiling at Lily.

"I don't think Lily'd approve of what we'd do," Sirius muttered. "You can come if you like."

"Oh!" Lily said angrily. "You're all making me sound like an old woman who'd tell on you! Just get whatever you're going to do, over with!"

Up in James' room, where it had a gigantic bed, Lily was suddenly nervous. There were all these guys here and only Alex and her alone with them. What was it that these guys were going to do?

James had a bottle of absinthe in his minibar, and Sirius took out shot glasses from the closet in the minibar. James had shot glasses and a minibar in his room! Was that even normal?

Lily was even more nervous. Absinthe and a group of guys with two girls wasn't a good mix.

"Why are we drinking this up here?" Lily tried to sound cool and collected, but her voice was up by two pitches.

"Celebrating Alex's memory retrieval!" Sirius grinned.

Lily glared at Alex for not telling her, although Lily did have a nagging suspicion over the holidays that she did get her memory back. "How?"

"I guess that going back to the place you grew up in, helps," Alex smiled sheepishly. "It came to me instantly!"

One of the guys poured the absinthe into the shot glasses, then handed them all around. Remus refused his and Alex refused hers. That was odd, Alx was always up for anything new, and Lily was sure that Alex never tried absinthe before. When a shot was at her, she didn't know what to do. She wasn't accepted, and she didn't have a reputation on being daring like Alex, but she sure as hell didn't want to get that into her system, OR be refused.

Alex took the absinthe from her, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, then knocked the shot back. Lily looked at her blankly. What was the point of rejecting her own glass if she was going to drink Lily's straight? But then Lily noticed that Alex didn't gulp and her mouth looked like something was in it. After a few seconds, Alex headed toward the bathroom and closed the door.

She went out after a few seconds, the toilet flushing. It was too quick for her to have done anything. Lily assumed that she spit out the absinthe into the toilet. That was even better than actually drinking it.

After the others knocked back one little shot, they were already a bit loopy. Theoretically, wizards were stronger drinkers than muggles.

"I wanna dance the tango," Alex muttered quietly, when the guys seemed TOO sly. "Let's go down."

"I agree," Sirius said soberly, once again the only person who drank that was in his right state of mind.

All of them rushed down the stairs and headed toward the ballroom. Like Alex was some psychic, the tango was playing and couples were taking their places on the dance floor.

"May I?" Sirius asked Alex, giving his hand, but his eyes twinkled not. They were strangely sorrowful.

"'Course!"

The pair of them stepped onto the dance floor, and abruptly stuck together with one quick flash of movement. The song played, and Alex took sharp and precise steps while Sirius lead. Lily was entranced and had her eyes stuck on them, like they were the only two people on the dancefloor.

Alex used her whole body while she danced, and her movements were quick and fluid...and sexy. She and Sirius moved together sinuously, like they were one being. Sirius seemed to be doing minimal movement, but knew exactly when to twirl, dip and thrust Alex back to him. That was the beautiful contrast between them.

It was hypnotic to watch Alex's legs and hips, and breathtaking as she was dipped while her head almost reached the floor and then snapped back up close to Sirius' face. The continuous motion of it all was overwhelming. It was like they were in a competition or something. Even their faces had emotion, like the lips parted at the exact moment and their eyes never strayed from each other's face unless Alex closed them when she bended. Desire was evident in their faces, staged or real, Lily couldn't tell.

The two of them would press each other closer to each other, and Sirius' hand would pull her leg up to his hip, and she would twist around, facing front and reached back her hand toward Sirius' neck. Then Sirius would grab her index finger and she would twist and twist on her toes, barely visible, since she was just a blur.

She bounded forward and Sirius grabbed her wrist, taking her pressed to his body again. Now, Alex's black dress, clung to her and her chest shimmered with a thin sheet of sweat, looking like oil was poured all over her body. Instead of looking disgusting, it had the exact opposite effect for the males present in the room.

Lily saw Jake gaping at Alex like she was some cold drink of water in a hot, heat infested desert. She smothered her laugh, taking her eyes back to her best mate and James' best mate.

She must have missed a lot, since they were in their last pose. Alex was in a half split at Sirius' feet, her hands on his hips and his face directed at her. There was a loud burst of applause from every corner of the room.

Lily could hear James' father yell: "We should have them for entertainment every year!" over the noisy din.

Alex stood up and curtsied lowly, while Sirius stood to the side and clapped his hands. James turned over to stare at Lily, and had ideas forming in his head after seeing his best mate so intimately close to Lily's best friend.

But Lily was too busy watching Jake and what Alex's reaction would be.

Lily joined Alex at the bar as Alex ordered for a bottle of water. She had her eyes closed, leaning back on the bar with her elbows behind her, and her neck arched up to the light.

Jake came sauntering over, eyeing Lily pointedly and jerking his head to the direction of Alex. Lily shook her head and grinned evilly, twirling an imaginary mustache.

Alex noticed and gave Jake the once over. And then she looked at Lily, who still had her smile plastered to her face. Alex's eyebrows shot up in suspicion.

"Do you like him?" she wondered, raising a brow at Lily.

Lily gagged on her wine and looked at Alex in horror and disgust. "He is my cousin."

"Oh."

"Lily, can I talk to you for a quick minute?" Jake grinend stiffly.

"Go ahead, it looks like he's got something important to tell you," Alex muttered, drinking a glass of champagne.

Lily went over with Jake and stared at him for a few minutes, listening but not really hearing. It just consisted of words that wanted her to set him up with Alex and they could live happily ever after and Alex could be her cousin-in-law and finally be related in some sick way. Like Lily hadn't already heard this before. How many men had asked her to do this for them already, since she was fourteen?

When Lily went back to the bar, she couldn't find Alex, so contented herself in going over to James, who was talking to a man who looked twenty years older than he. James had a serious look on his face, that made Lily wonder if he really knocked back that shot of absinthe.

"Potter..." Lily smiled, taking a seat beside him. "It's an hour until midnight you know."

James gave her a glance and bid goodbye to the man he was seated next to. "Yes, I am very well aware of it."

"Any girls you thinking of having the New Year kiss with?" Lily smiled, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, looking pointedly at the crowd of young girls on the dance floor.

James' smile disappeared. "No. I don't have anyone in mind. I think that I'm breaking THAT tradition this year. Excuse me."

He got off the stool and walked over to his mates, leaving Lily alone again. Lily sighed and took another drink from the bartender. It would be a very long hour.

----------

Fireworks exploded just outside the huge balcony of the Potter ballroom. Everyone oohed and ahhed, all except for Lily and James, who were both in a rotten mood. The two of them had been separated for quite awhile and Lily thought that her pretty red dress had been purchased for nothing.

No one even came to ask her for any dance, so the slit up her side proved useless and the low neckline was unattractive on her.

No no dear. The men aren't coming near you because they are INTIMIDATED with a sexy vixen like you.

At two in the morning did Lily finally see Alex again. Her face was pale and there was something different about her. Lily took her hand and Alex quickly snatched it away, but she wasn't fast enough. Lily saw the glint and felt the enormous stone.

Set in Alex's hand was a gigantic diamond, overwhelming her entire hand. The detail was unique and exquisite, the rock placed firmly on a thick gold band. Lily was sure that that wasn't there three hours ago.

Alex feebly attemtpted to hide it by twisting the ring so that the stone was set inside her palm instead of being revealed into the world, but the stone was so huge, that it glinted menacingly, even under her skin.

"What the hell happened?" Lily screeched quietly. "I leave you for three hours and you get engaged??"

"Lils, to tell you something important," Alex said gravely.

"What?" Lily said, still pissed.

"I'm dying."

Lily expected her to start tap dancing and take out a fedora hat from somewhere, saying that it was all a joke, but Alex's face was so serious, that it frightened Lily unfathomably. Lily gripped her friends' shoulders for support.

Lily could feel hot drops escape her green eyes. Why was it so easy to believe that her best friend was dying? Her lively, restless, carefree best friend? She felt arms around her, warm and limp. Alex rested her head on Lily's shoulder.

"So how does this explain why you're getting married?" Lily sniffled. "And I still think you're a bitch for telling me, instead of making me think that you dropped dead from the Avada Kedavra."

"Wouldn't you have been angry at me too, if I didn't?" Alex laughed gravely, and then coughing.

"I don't believe you." Lily said decidedly. "You just danced a steamy little tango earlier, and you tell me that you're dying."

"I kind of had a feeling that I would get engaged tonight."

"Why?"

"My mother and father had a family friend who had a lovely son. And I was smitten with this lovely son while I was away. That's why I'm trying to not be around Sirius so much, but I enjoyed the tango!"

"Where is the lovely son?"

"Right over there. And mind you, he got a little bit envious when he saw me paired up with Sirius. It was funny, the way he acted like a husband already."

"What about Lal?"

"Lal IS the lovely son of the family friend."

"Oh!" Lily turned to the direction Alex looked at. "Wow. Okay, good luck with that."

"And I do love him. And he doesn't care if I'm dying. I told him, a month ago and he just said 'so what?'"

"So that's why I didn't see him so much during those Hogwarts days. Dumbledore had him excused."

"It was altogether, a very pleasant Christmas."

It sank into Lily. "You're dying."

"Didn't I say that awhile ago?"

"From what? What could wizards possibly have not found a cure for some disease?"

"I dunno what it is. I'd rather not find out. I just cough up blood and my nose sometimes bleeds. I've once, been to a Healer and all he said that it was something that would take me slowly and in about two years, I'll be gone."

"What about babies?" Lily said sadly. "We always talked about baby names!"

"I hope that the baby won't get this, so I'll try not to get one done. But I don't want Lal to be alone. I want a clone of the two of us, so I don't think I have much of a choice, and my mum and dad had always raved about grandchildren."

"But do YOU want a child?"

"Not like this...not when I know that I'm, losing life. I'm afraid that this sickness would be passed to the baby and wouldn't live long enough to see daylight anyway!"

"And Sirius?"

She looked down evasively. "Sirius will forget about me, just as he had forgotten Marisol, Ashlee, Anna, Connie and oh! what other names are there!"

"But will you?"

"Does one forget a friend so easily?" she answered with a question. "Can we really take out all the memories of the past with on easy flicker of a decision?"

Lily stared at her friend, not understanding what she meant. There were things that Alex understood better than her in life. She was always the wiser one, although Lily had always been the knowlegdeable one.

"He will forget, since I've been neither lover and I don't think that he accepts me even as a friend, for all the things that I've put him through. We've been through a lot, but a lot has also changed since then. We only like remembering fond memories, and I am neither fond nor happy to him for memories."

"But he loves you," Lily disagreed, not liking the dreary turn of their conversation. "And you know that."

"I don't think that I know that," she said stubbornly. "But if I did believe it, it would be better for him if he didn't."

It was infuriating, this love. What would come the future? It looked even dimmer when one person was gone.

"Look happy, your future boyfriend is coming," Alex smiled, making ehr face look considerably brighter. She glowed. "Hello James. I am truly enjoying your little get together here. I think so is Lily."

"It is so like you to pretend that it's fun because of that little number you did with Sirius!" James smirked. Lily stayed silent, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Here comes the devil himself!"

Sirius appeared, looking fresh and newly groomed. This was an awfully suspicious happening, since it was three in the morning. "Hello chaps!"

His eye drifted towards Alex's hand, for some unexplainable reason, and his mood shifted from cool to surly. "What's that?" he pointed at the humongous, hidden ring.

"Nothing," Alex replied, hastily hiding her hand behind her back. "Just a little present."

"A littel present?" Sirius' sarcasm evident in his low voice. "That thing is the size of an acorn!"

"I really don't need this right now," she muttered back. "It's nothing." she persisted.

"Then why are you hiding that nothing if it really is nothing to be ashamed about?" Sirius retorted viciously. "Let. Us. See."

By us, Sirius meant him, Lily thought. She then turned her gaze at James, who was watching the precedings with amusement and uncertainty whether he wanted to continue watching.

Alex sighed. "with your persistence, I don't see why I should hide it from you any longer than necessary."

She flashed the overwhelmingly cheeky diamond at his face, as he sneered at the light that reflected off it. James staggered back with wide eyes. He had not forseen this episode coming.

"A little gift?" James leered, bewildered. "You must be some mighty girl to be given such a gift!"

"Can we not talk about this please?" Alex said impatiently, which was uncommon for her. "Do you really want to hear it from me? Fine. I'm engaged, to someone that you are all very familiar with. Lal. And this wasn't as much as a surprise to me as it is for you guys because we both know that I am dying. He asked me to be his, and I accepted, because we both want to be happy in the limited time that has been given to me. Do you see where I stand?"

She glared at them angrily now. "You two always have to question my judgment, don't you? You can't comprehend my actions. Everything that I do has its own reasons, but you're both too absorbed woth yourselves to see that there are other people involved in your decisions. This is the only time that I'm doing this for me, and apparantely, this will be the reacions I will always receive if I think about myself. Why, I always have to be selfless!"

The three of them looked at her in shock. Alex never had an outburst this resentful, and she certainly wasn't one to hold grudges. Her lovely black eyes glinted through their small slits. It was terrifying.

"Chill Alex," James said as soothingly as he could, rubbing her arm with his hand. "It's nothing."

"It's very major," she said with a sneer on her face. "We're talking about my life here."

"You're...dying," Sirius mumbled, thinking over that proclamation. "Why?"

"Who knows why I'm dying, I just am. I can only answer how."

Lily couldn't handle this anymore. She turned away, pulling Alex with her. She couldn't stand to leave Alex alone for the rest of the party. Honestly, Lily was afraid to let her go. Lily walked past her friends, and family, strangers and acquaintances, until she reached the porch outside. Before she knew it, she was sobbing hard on her friends' shoulder.

"How can you stand it?" she said, shaking. "How can you even not break down in tears, knowing that you won't last two years from now? You're only sixteen!"

"Some people have lesser time than me. I'm grateful that God even gave me enough time to know about it and live before it's too late to regret anything."

Lily was unaware that James accompanied Sirius in the shadows, listening to their conversation. James could feel that Sirius needed a silent moment to himself, to get over his grief by himself. All James could do was stay with him so that he wouldn't do anything rash.

Happy New Year.

----------

A/N-Alrighty! Now that that's over with, even I'll admit that this was long. I was running through it and my head started hurting. =)) Anyway, sorry if there are a lot of typos, since I don't have the time and effort to proofread. Thanks. Reviews and suggestions for the next chapter please! I swear, I run out of them since everything got put into this and the last chapter. I didn't want to leave anything out and leave you all hanging! xoxo's.


	14. Rescue

A/N-Hi, hi. I know I've been out of touch in this story, but I was busy working with my Slytherin children. They've been great to work with, but I have to get back and read my fanfics in this story now, since I might mix up Slytherin Alex and Gryffindor Alexs' personalities.

Hope you enjoy, and please. Don't get drepressed. It's just beginning really. You never know what I might spring up with next.

--

Getting back to school was something to look forward to and to dread. It was something to look forward to for Lily, because she had her friend back, but dreadful because it meant that time was passing too quickly, and she didn't want that. If she could stay in the present forever, she would gladly take it.

When they got to Hogwarts, Lily was trying to liven up the mood. Alex, who had sensed what she was trying to do, confronted Lily about it.

"Lils, it's not like I'm too weak to have fun today," she had said moodily. "You don't have to act all like little miss sunshine all of a sudden."

"Who says I'm trying to be a little miss sunshine?" Lily asked with a forced smile.

"I can see that the smile isn't reaching your eyes and it looks like you just separated your lips to show your teeth."

Lily scowled. "Oh, what do you know?"

"There's the Lily," Alex sat back in content.

"I was just trying to lighten things up."

"And you do! Just...stop trying to be funny. It's not funny when you're trying to be funny."

"You think you know what funny is?"

"Now that I'm sick to the core, I think I defintely know what it is."

That was the end of that conversation.

--

Things were way too much to handle for the next month, for one, the loads of homeworks and quizzes were dumped on them daily. And two, Alex's mum got killed because of her resistance. This was showing off as a warning for Alex's dad, who still refused to join up, but then was starting to think other things when he shortly found out that his family was at stake.

Lily pat her friend on the back, and felt deeply sorry for Alex's dad. He lost his wife, and he must know that he was soon to lose his only daughter as well. That kind of sucked. Alex had red eyes all the time, and wouldn't look at anyone. Her nose was running all the time, and Lily always had a box of tissues during her sudden moments when she would burst into tears during class.

Her dad told her to stay at Hogwarts, not letting her come home except for the funeral, since he thought that Hogwarts was the safest during this time.

Whenever Alex did talk, it was a strange husky kind of croaking, and it was the first time that she looked so vulnerable and pathetic that everyone would rush to be the shoulder to cry on. Lily was extemely relieved, then even if she wasn't around, she knew that there would be someone to take care of her friend.

One late night, when the two of them were scribbling by the fireplace (it was one of those peaceful nights when Alex was able to calm down and write her essays) on their parchment, they heard the Portrait Hole creep open quietly and the sounds of boyish laughter came.

The two girls looked up, curious and exhausted. It was late and surely no one would be up at this hour.

Three boys came in, looking like they had a good night, but was ready for sleep.

"I can't believe how we almost lost Moony again," James was saying, laughing quietly.

"WE didn't lose him. You did," Sirius shot back. "I suppose he'll be normal and hairless by tomorrow--?"

The three of them looked in the direction of the fireplace, where they finally saw the girls with their heads up and eyes open. The information given to them was already so obvious, and the evidence could be concluded. In those quips, they found out about what Remus Lupin was.

"Hairless?" Lily asked tentatively. "Oh goodness, don't act so tense. We won't tell anyone."

The three guys had their jaws tensed and muscles clenched, not believing how reckless they were. "We were joking, is all," James said through gritted teeth.

"Oh please, I'm not that dim," Lily sneered. "Full moon? Always gone once a month? You three seemingly coming back in the dark hours and Remus still not with you? I'm right, aren't I?"

"Lils, let it go." Alex muttered, but the room was so quiet that she shouldn't have bothered lowering her voice not to be heard. "It's not our business. I know what you're thinking, and I think it's true, but we don't have to let them say it themselves. It's their secret. Don't we have secrets too?"

She turned to the still tense guys and said, "We won't say anything. And besides, it's not our secret to tell the world anyway. And," she added. "I think that furry animals are cute, so don't sweat."

Lily observed that she was smirking at Sirius, and noticed that a silent joke passed between the two of them. What was wrong with the world?

"How's the life of the engaged going for you?" Sirius asked, an angry glint in his eye. He still didn't get over the thing at James' New Year party. "Aren't you supposed to be all peeved and stressed about arrangements and things like that that you shouldn't be thinking about until after school?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop your cheek." She raised her left hand. "See? Smaller ring, less defined. I haven't got a single person notice it on that peculiar finger since I got here."

It was true. The thin silver ring was placed daintily on her hand. It looked like the kind of ring that could break with a single press from the fingers. It was very thin and had little diamonds that resembled glitter on it.

"What happened to that humongous acorn?" James said in amusement. That piece of work was still temporarily envisioned in his mind.

"I told Lal to take it back," she replied smugly. "And by the way, I already got married over the break, so no big deal."

The four of them all stared at her. Peter looked extremely confused. Of course, he wasn't there during the outburst of Sirius.

"You got married already?" Sirius hissed slowly, glowering at her.

"It wasn't like it had to be the wedding of the century or anything. We all knew that it was about to happen anyway, so what's the point of prolonging it?"

"Wow," Lily breathed. "I wasn't expecting that, but I was expecting to be the first one to be told if my best friend ever got married in secret."

"Sorry, but it slipped my mind. Really, it's not a big deal. Same old Alex, but can't date anyone else anymore...unless Lal dies before me, which is highly doubtful."

(A/N-I am very sorry for the Lal haters here, but it is VERY essential for the next few chapters)

--

For the next few days, Lily became acutely aware of the barely-there ring. She wondered whether it was so miniscule that it just HAD to be noticed so that people could wonder about what it really was. The mystery must have been a great one. It maddened Lily that not one person noticed the ring on that peculiar finger.

What she could not believe even more, was how Alex and Lal could remain civilized at each other and not jump at each other each time that they met. Usually, only a smug face was on their faces and it could only be understood by Lily and the Marauders. Of course, Sirius would grit his teeth in annoyance and stomp out of the room every chance he saw them together. The girls around him were bewildered by his change of attitude. Lily felt a sense of duty to comfort Sirius, since that strange bond of friendship that existed between them when Alex lost her memory hadn't completely faded.

One very angry night though, Lily decided to follow him, partly because she knew she would be safe from any hexes because James was there, and partly because she was concerned sincerely.

"Will you get a grip on yourself, mate?" James said angrily, shaking Sirius violently. Lily had yet to round the corner, so the two of them hadn't seen her yet. "It is not the end of the world."

"Of course you can't feel any empathy toward me because you haven't experienced having your girl married off to someone you absolutely hate," Sirius replied glumly. "Just imagine if Lily ever got married to Snivellus. That's a very potent and similar situation that might make you see how I feel."

James was silent. Lily rounded the corner, smiling nervously. The two boys looked at her sharply.

"Erm...I just went to see if you were all right Sirius," her voice shook, to her dismay.

"Ah, Lily. Perfect timing," Sirius said flatly, taking her arm and shoving her in front of James.

"Imagine this girl," Sirius snarled. Lily was frightened to move, her face was inches from James, who would not look at her. "Oh come on, look up at her Prongs. Imagine her, getting married to a horrible excuse for a human being. Snivelly of all people!"

"Could you not bring Snape into this?" Lily said harshly, removing Sirius' tight grip on her arms. "I'd prefer not to be attached to him in any way, not even in James' imagination. That is the most terrible insult that you could give me."

"I was giving him something to relate to, then maybe all of you would understand my hysterity."

"I could understand before you said anything," James cut in. "I am supposed to. I'm not so oblivious to your feelings Padfoot. I was just telling you to act like something isn't wrong! Do you know extremely pathetic you look? It's not one of the great looks, and it certainly isn't great seeing your friend all torn up. It sucks."

"It sucks when it actually happens."

James punched the wall in frustration. He started rubbing his temples with his index fingers. "Damn. Couldn't she have made it any more difficult for everyone? Alex wasn't thinking when she said yes."

"You think?" Lily interjected in sarcasm. "Even I know that she must have been under some medication that made her say yes."

Sirius' head suddenly perked up. "Do you think she's under something? Potion? Imperius curse?"

"That's a...heavy thing to say," Lily warned. "But then again, why not investigate it? It might keep all of us distracted."

--

"All I know is," Alex said, a bored look on her face. "Is that I'm sick with something to do about the heart that cannot be surgically removed. It's either replace my heart or live whatever is left of my life."

"Replace your heart?" Lily asked. "Like what muggles do?"

"Yeap, except that I can't go to a muggle hospital, because it's some magical thing that might be not so healthy for them, who know nothing about magic. I have a magical disease, so the surgery has to be done at St. Mungos."

"Why not get one of the hearts from muggle hospitals? Don't they donate hearts there?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that Lily."

"Explain."

"This...sickness, I have. It's not ordinary. It has to be a wizarding persons' heart. I guess you could say that we have something magical about us that it affects our internal organs," she laughed briefly, but her eyes were serious. "And you know the phrase 'love conquers all'? Yeah well, that phrase is implied in my situation. Only a person who deeply loves me could replace my heart. I guess love is the medicine. Only problem is, that person has to die for me. You could be that heart, but I definitely wouldn't want that."

"I thought you said 'deeply loves you.' I don't deeply love you."

"I mean in a way that you love me platonically, Lils. Any friend, family or whatever could give me their heart. It's as long as the person has a relevance in my life."

"That is bizarre."

"See? That's one freaky way to use amor omnia vincit."

"I just hope Sirius doesn't find out," Lily muttered to herself darkly. She knew that Sirius would definitely lay his life for her.

"Does Lal know?" Lily said in a louder tone.

"Lal knows everything medical that has to do with me."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Why isn't it?"

"Well..."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

The sun was starting to set. They were in the Girls Dormitories again. They had been staying here a lot, and never going outside. The cold wasn't good for Alex, who would get a bleeding nose whenever she went out. Alex was starting to pale up because of her lack of time outside. She was just a light tanned version of herself now.

"What do you feel?" Lily asked tentatively.

"Being sick?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing. It doesn't hurt. Only when I start bleeding, but other than that, nothing."

"Do you really love Lal?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"An honest one from a friend who notices things from you."

"What would make you think that I don't?"

"Maybe you love Sirius."

"Sirius?" she looked at Lily with an 'are you serious?' look on her face. "Sirius is a friend I have known for a very long time."

"Which makes it more obvious for the two of you to be together."

"And what else would happen if I admit that?"

"Are you admitting that you don't love Lal the way you love Sirius?"

"I'm not admitting anything."

"All I'm going to say is: Lal wasn't the one seated by your bedside every time you were sick or unconscious. Lal was never the one who knew your innermost secrets and fears. Lal wasn't the one who took care of you when you lost your memory. And Lal wasn't the one you lost your virginity to."

"Virginity has nothing to do with it. You could lose that to anyone of the opposite sex."

"But the others have everything to do with it."

"Nothing good would come out if I ever admitted to loving Sirius. What would happen?"

"Sirius can rest with a clear head that he was the one your heart belonged to, when you're long gone?"

Alex snarled. "You are so pushy."

"Just say it."

"I like Lal, but I love Sirius."

"Like you mean it."

"I'm sixteen and my hormones are probably telling me what love is instead of my heart saying it."

"I like what you said earlier."

"Sirius was my best friend and I grew up with him, and that friendship developing into something we might call love. I'm not sure what I have with him, but it damn straight feels like it. Sirius Black is always there whenever I needed him and yeah, yeah, I love him."

"Now say that to his face."

"No."

"Why not?"

Alex flashed her wedding finger at Lily. "Married, remember?"

"Why the fuck did you marry Lal?"

"Because he was my boyfriend."

"A boyfriend you only started dating in the first place because you thought he was gorgeous and he was a year older than us."

"Like girls don't like guys based on looks in the first meeting. But yeah, you got a point, I'm not shallow like other girls."

"You just married your boyfriend because he's gorgeous."

"This is probably the longest conversation we've ever had regarding boys."

"Am not stopping until you tell Sirius."

"Did Sirius pay you to nag me?"

"No."

"Now I understand why people don't like you very much."

"Hey!"

"Kidding, but at least that made you shut up."

--

She thought that it was painstakingly hard to be around her anymore. Lily watched her friend acting like everything was normal, with her flitting around everywhere just as she had done before, a glint in her eye and wit in her tongue. What was harder, Lily herself was starting to feel a lot more fond of how James Potter acted around her friend.

He joked around with her, pretending that everything was as it should be, as if he didn't know that she was married, and even worse, dying. It was like he made it his new personal mission to make sure that the rest of her life was going to be the best.

His best friend, on the other hand, was acting as sullen and moody as Filch the Caretaker whenever he didn't get his way. Sirius Black didn't seem to find anything funny at the moment, and everyone had assumed that it was all right because of the stress level that the lessons were weighing down upon them.

Within a few weeks of this altered ambiance, Lily couldn't help but notice that her best friends' supposed husband had suddenly disappared. When Lily stressed her observation to Alex, she just looked back blankly and said, "How should I know?"

Lily had a surge of dislike suddenly flow through her at the uttered words. And then the dislike turned into shame, for she was the one who made Alex voice out her true feelings and it was probably her own fault why Alex didn't seem to care about Lal.

One dull Tuesday afternoon, when they were in Transfiguration together, copying down notes, a slight fifth year from Slytherin came knocking on the door. McGonagall looked up from the students that she was passing by (making sure that they were, indeed, note-taking) and said, "What is it, Selwyn?"

The class looked up from what they were doing to see what this Selwyn wanted. "I have a note from Professor Dumbledore that he asked me to send over. He said that it's urgent," he raised a piece of parchment over his head and walked into the classroom to deliver it.

"Very well, you may go back to your class now," McGonagall dismissed him, already her eyes on the note. Her eyes flicked over to where Alex was seated beside Lily, taking down notes and hardly minding the Selwyn bloke who just left.

"Hernandez," she said in a voice that was deprived of any emotion. "Get your things and head up to the Headmaster's office. He will inform you of what you need to know."

It was the second time that the class looked up from their notes, as they watched their fellow sixth year pack her things and leave the room, after giving Lily a 'Don't worry' look.

"What do you reckon she's in for?" Lily heard James whisper to Remus. Lily suddenly felt so alone. And then James turned to her. "Do you have an idea?"

She shook her head vaguely before looking back down at her notes and resisted the tears that suddenly wanted to stream down her emerald eyes. She had a very bad feeling that she wouldn't be seeing her friend tonight.

--

"Surgery?" Alex said numbly. When she had climbed up the stairs, two at a time, she found her dad already in the the Headmaster's office, waiting for her. His face, even that of Dumbledore's, looked grave.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, darling," her father said soothingly, stroking his daughter's black hair. "Lal has already been inspected, and he won't come out it. He wants it to be him. Not even his parents can do anything about it. He says that if they won't let him, he'll just make sure that he would do the jinxes and curses on himself to make him a proper candidate to replace your heart."

"Replace my heart," Alex said hollowly. This felt unreal to her. She had actually found someone who would literally die for her, who would lay down his heart just to save her, and she didn't even love him back in that same way.

"You know the conditions," her father looked across from her earnestly. "Only someone who loves you could replace your heart. You've found someone who wants to replace it, even if it means his own life. Now, it's only up to you."

She looked at Dumbledore, terrified of his reaction. "What do you think, Professor?"

He breathed in deeply. "It's not relevant what I have to say, but if Lalic really does love you enough to want to lay his life for you, even if it means for his to be gone forever, then it must be his final wish on earth. I wouldn't call you selfish, since you didn't ask this of him. To me, he would still live within you, his heart beating inside you, sustaining both of your lives.

"It may be a rather tricky way to look at it, and it might not look so bright for him, but the way I see it, he would die without you as well."

"So, I do have to go through with it," she said bleakly. Even though she was not in love with Lal the way she was with Sirius, it was was a hard concept of thinking that the man that she thought she loved would be gone from the face of the world forever. She did care for him, no matter what she said to convince herself otherwise.

"You don't have to," Dumbledore corrected. "You're not forced to do it. You do it because you think that it will be best. I give you leave to head towards St. Mungo's tonight. I will arrange for a Portkey, and you will leave with your parents. You can head on up to pack the items you hold dear."

"Thank you, Professor," her last living parent had said as he stood up.

The two Hernandez's left the office with apprehension on his normally cool face.

"I have things to discuss with your Head, sweetheart," her dad kissed her forehead. "I'll meet you at the Portkey, and you can say goodbye to your friends properly."

Alex nodded and headed down the flights of stairs that would lead to the Great Hall. Classes were over, meaning that everyone was supposedly down there. She suddenly had fits of coughs again, and she used her white handkerchief to wipe the blood in.

When she got to the table, her eyes immediately searched for the faces that she most coveted to see. Lily was easily spotted, with that fire of red hair, and she looked as glum as Alex felt.

"Hey Lils," she said weakly, standing behind her friend. She wouldn't sit down. There wasn't a need to. She intended to have Lily help her out in their Dormitory and accompany her towards the place where the Portkey would be. "Can you come back up with me?"

She nodded, as if she already knew what had happened to me and followed me out the Great Hall. They felt eyes following them and whispers around; their fellow sixth years in their Transfiguration class depicting what they had witnessed earlier that afternoon.

"I heard that her family is going into hiding because You-Know-Who is after them--"

"--her dad's not a big You-Know-Who supporter--"

"--Hope he doesn't go the same way as her mum! No way--"

"--why's that boyfriend of hers suddenly missing?--"

"--think that the Marauders know anything?--"

Rumors were heard all around them, but the Marauders just looked out the door of the Great Hall, their eyes watching the two girls carefully.

"Something's not right," Remus said quietly. "They've got that look on their faces that's...just not right."

"Urgent news, McGonagall said," James observed, and started probing his brain to connect all the facts that he knew. "It's definitely about Hernandez though, that bit we're obviously sure of. Why else would they want to bring her up there alone?"

"D'you think what the rest of them are saying is true?" Peter wheezed, jutting his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the rumors that were floating around. "That her family's going to run for it?"

"Her family doesn't need to worry about anything," Remus said, a little impatiently. "They're pureblood, and they're well-off. Her mum might be gone, but it doesn't look like her father's going to run. They've got gold, heaps of it. And from what Alex turned out like, I'm expecting that his dad's continuing not reacting to anything about the Dark Lords' regimen, even if he already lost his wife."

"What do you think, Padfoot?" James turned to Sirius, who was just stirring his fork in his potatoes absentmindedly, his eyebrows creased and a slight frown on his face. "Padfoot?"

Sirius looked up at the three of them with a dark look in his eye. "I wouldn't know, would I? But if I know her, it's not anything about her family. If anything, this is about her...this is about Lal."

"Don't you even want to find out?" James said testily, wanting it himself.

"Why?"

He looked at Sirius in disbelief, and so did Remus and Peter. "Since when did there ever have to be a reason when it came to you?" Remus said in surprise, whether it was genuine or intended to mock, they let it slide. "They're our friends, that's why."

"And it's not our business if they don't want to tell us," he said earnestly.

"My, my," Remus said, rather impressed, while James kept staring at him in disbelief. "It seems that she has made a better man out of you, in some way."

"Yeah, he actually values people's privacy now," James grinned, devouring another big helping of potatoes.

--

Well-fed and bored, the boys had retired to their Dormitory, feeling a small feeling of drowsiness within them. They had a lot of homeworks to do, and a few quizzes to study for, but they didn't seem to feel the need of it important enough for them to bother.

Sirius had been going through one of the essays that they had to pass, Mysteries of Muggles by Andrew Wrightman next to him, in case he got anything wrong and he had to change that part. James was inside the bathroom, brushing his teeth, feeling refreshed after a quick shower. Remus was reading yet another book about werewolves, a box of chocolates right next to him for him to nibble on. Peter was making a tower of cards on the floor, and a bowl of cheese and crackers for his own treat. It was an altogether pleasant night, without having an idea of troublemaking in their heads.

They heard a light tap on the door as they were all comfortably settled in.

James, being the only one who was on his feet, answered the door, his toothbrush still in his mouth. To his astonishment, the sight on the other side was that of Alexandra Hernandez in a black coat that had a collar that covered her neck. Her face stood out, with her black hair tied back in a ponytail. In her hand was a white handjerchief, tinged with red that looked very much like blood.

"Can I come in?" she said in a light voice. She seemed out of it.

James stepped aside and let her in, spitting out the rest of the toothpaste and bubbles out of his mouth, gargling and rinsing before coming back out. She sat on the edge of Sirius' bed, and he had sat up in concern. There was something in her face that suggested fear.

"I'm leaving in a few minutes," she started, looking at all four of them. And then she coughed into her handkerchief and tried hiding the fact that there was blood all over it. "And I wanted you guys to hear it from me."

"You're leaving?" James said, sitting opposite her. She dismissed the question by waving her hand, meaning that she would be telling why anyway.

"I'm having surgery. They found a heart. No, actually, someone offered his heart to replace mine. It's Lal. That's why we haven't been seeing him for the past few days. He was having his heart inspected to see if there wasn't anything wrong with it," she drew breath before continuing. "He wasn't qualified at first, because there wasn't anything that would have the need in taking out his heart. He wasn't in a coma or anything, so...

"And then he said that he would do something if they didn't let him. Rather than having two people dead and a useful heart at their disposal, the Healers agreed to put his heart in me, and he would only be able to live for a couple of months when he has my heart. It turns out, I didn't have two years to live, but months. He'll probably die shortly after he graduates."

She said all of this with a quivering voice, and her eyelids closed. The four boys watched the girl hug her legs and tears slipping out of her closed lids. Sirius came over beside her and gave her a warm hug. It must have been very hard, knowing that she would be at fault for someone's death.

"Now," she wiped her nose on the bloody handkerchief, "people will be asking questions. I want you guys to say that I'm going away because of my grandmother's health. Don't say any of the details. It won't be too believable if you all have different diseases in mind. Let them have their own in their minds."

She stood up again, and looked directly at Sirius. Sirius stared back at her intently, and she shook her head and trooped out, her gaze wavering. James nodded his head over to Alex, who was almost near the door.

Sirius jumped up from his bed and followed her out.

She turned around and inhaled. She bit her lips first, looking nervous at first, and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Just like that. It was sweet, something that was sincere, and honest. It wasn't those lusty moments when they were both hot and heavy. It wasn't like those kisses right before they lost their virginity to each other. It was an amazing, forget-me-not kiss that left him breathless.

"I just wanted to let you know," she smiled feebly, taking her arms back. "I never really did make it clear. And I don't know what'll happen next."

Sirius could feel a stupid smile form on his lips as she trotted down the stairs, and when he turned around, he saw that he forgot to close the door. His mates were all grinning at him, a feeling of triumph in their room.

"See what happens if you let her alone and give her her own time?" Sirius' smile widened. "You get a whole story and a love confession. Can't get any better than that!"

"So that's what happens if you don't butt into their business," Peter laughed, his tower of cards falling and him not caring anyway.

"That's a right mess she's in though," Remus looked out the door and flicked his wand to close it. "Poor girl. She must be going out of her mind now, with fright."

"Nah, not Alex," James shook his head. "She's strong enough. I don't think a thing like that could scare her. That's probably little compared to other things."

"She's like that because it involves someone else's life dangling on her decision," Sirius was in deep thought. "And to her, it's all right if anything happens as long as she's the one affected. But, if she affects other people because of what she's done, that really tears her up inside."

"At least it's got nothing to do with You-Know-Who," James flexed his arms. They were sore from Quidditch practice. "That's a bit of a plus side, ain't it?"

"Just worried when she'll get back," Sirius wondered. "Or if she'll come back." He tried not letting that horrible thought enter his mind.

--

A/N-That's for all you Lalic haters out there. Are you happy? And to those who thought that I would actually allow my main star to die...no waY! I wouldn't let that happen. Of course there's got to be a cure. I'm all for happily ever after! :D So, please Review!


	15. Philosophy

A/N-I'm so happy that I'm still getting feedback from people in Changes for the Better, In the Eyes of Another, and being favorited in Slytherins are not Cold-Blooded Fiends. That put me in a good mood to continue Witness: A Fabulous Life, which I have iconsistently been updating because of lack of feedback (although this is the fanfic that has received the most reviews from among the other stories). Enjoy! The depressing parts which you threatened me to stop reading my story is now gone, to both of our relief.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series.

--

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" James Potter smiled and tilted his head to the side as a dark-haired girl entered the Gryffindor Common Room, closely accompanied by a Chinese-looking woman who the girl had similar chinky eyes with.

"No, it really is me," Alexandra Hernandez smiled back weakly, sitting on one of the plush armchairs of the common room. Home, at last. "Where's Lily?"

"Don't try bringing the subject away from you," James rolled his eyes and studied the Asian woman, who sat on one of the armchairs and placed a clipboard perched on her knees. "Who's the Chinese girl?"

"She's my second-cousin," she shrugged, obviously expecting him to ask her, and when she noticed another question lingering on his tongue, she quickly followed up the answer. "She's here to inspect my progress after that massively hazardous surgery. She's a Healer at St. Mungos, and she found it highly interesting to tag along to Hogwarts, which she has never set foot in, since she studied in the Beijing Institute of Magic and Dragonology. She's fluent in Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Goblin, German, and English. Yeah, she is an overachiever, and she knows it, since she's only eighteen. But I don't blame her, imagine being a Healer at eighteen, with all those residencies and other practices and stuff. I think she has a right to be full of herself."

"Are you aware that she's sitting right next to you?" James sniggered, although he was a little bit intimidated with the slim, young Chinese woman a bit after that information.

"Oh, she won't bother," she faced her cousin and stuck out her tongue. "Chu Lien sees everything with humor. She's great fun, don't get me wrong, but there's something not right with the head with her, which is fine, since I'm used to you guys."

The woman, who was named Chu Lien apparently, sighed as if she had little patience with this sort of conversation. "Don't listen to her. She just thinks that because she suddenly realized that we were related, while at her stay in St. Mungo's, that she knows me the best."

James stared at her, not because she suddenly spoke up, but because she spoke the words with sarcasm, wit and slight obnoxiousness just like Alex spoke, minus an accent. If he had closed his eyes, he might've mistaken her for Alex.

"Oh, sod off," Alex grinned at Chu Lien before facing James again. "What are you doing, all alone in this room?"

"You should've come back here right after exams instead," James said. "It's unnatural to find someone who would attend school the day right before exams. You won't get through a quarter of the exams, with all the lessons you missed."

"Dumbledore sent her the lessons, homeworks, class works, essays and projects while staying at St. Mungo's," Chu Lien said breezily, tying back her long black hair into a neat ponytail. "I'm betting she's ahead of the class, with the advance work she's been reading while at that hospital."

"Do you know how annoying you are?" James said in surprisingly unshocked disbelief towards Alex, who was smiling with a certain smugness that reminded him og Lalic Addison. That brought the topic at hand to his head once again.

But then, the portrait hole burst open and in clambered Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, with faces like there was big news to be said. Their faces turned comically blank, however, when they saw the sight of James, Alex and the unknown Chinese woman before them.

"I was supposed to scream: Alex is back!" Lily raised a brow, but couldn't help but let her eyes drift toward the milk-white Asian woman. Lily couldn't believe that someone could stand out of the crowd of Brits even more than Alex. "But it looks like you found her before I did," she said with a little sulk in her voice.

Alex looked thinner than when she left, and she hid the skininess behind black liquid leggings (which hugged her legs so tightly and exhibited the firmness and how athletic they looked and not just plain scary skinny), a black V-neck wafer long-sleeved shirt, a black leather jacket and black leather ankle boots that made her appear taller and longer but still accentuated the good points of her slimness.

"Aren't you going to shout and hug me?" Alex asked testily, with her hands placed on her hips.

Lily did just that and closed her eyes and smiled happily. There were just things that a best friend could do that no other person could affect you in the same way. "It's so hot outside, why don't you take the jacket and the boots off?"

Alex looked at Chu Lien uncomfortably and her cousin looked back at her with a look that said 'They're going to see it sometime.' Alex hesitantly took off her jacket, which had been zipped up until the chest, and nicely hid the thin, pink slanting scar that was seen from her left shoulder-blade until it ended in the crook of her shadowy cleavage. Lily stared at the scar. It looked like someone slashed her with a knife and someone had clumsily put Essence of Dittany on it.

"So that's what a magical heart surgery looks like when it heals," Sirius whistled, although his eyes seemed to linger at the end point of the scar. "We missed you."

"Thanks," she mumbled incoherently. Lily hadn't forgotten the confession that her best friend had given her a few months ago, and she wasn't going to allow her to waste this second chance to live. What now seemed crucial was if Lalic's heart would allow her to love Sirius the same way. Although the literal heart had nothing to do with it, magic was definitely a strong thing, and a magical heart must have the essence of the wizard or witch, surely, and must have felt its sorrows and desires.

"Where's Lal?" Lily said, realizing that Lal must also be somewhere here as well, sporting the same scar as Alex was.

Alex squirmed with even more discomfort as she said, "He didn't make it, or better yet, my heart didn't. He died a few weeks after my heart was transferred into him."

"Shame," Chu Lien shook her pretty square-shaped face head sorrowfully. "He was a chamer, that one. Sad to see him go. I thought he really tried taking care of you as much as he could."

As the three who had not been there earlier looked at the Chinese woman, James whispered to them the information that Alex had passed on earlier. Sirius raised his eyebrows, finding it hard to believe that this bit of knowledge had been deprived of him for such a long time. Sure, Alex looked like she had a touch of Asian features and colors to her face and body, but he never really connected the looks and nationality ever.

"So what do you put in that clipboard?" Remus asked with earnest interest, and not having the thought that there was a new pretty girl in the room (unlike the other boys who had passed and found immediate interest with the way Chu Lien's dark eyes seemed to see through your soul, and the way her light-colored skin simply glowed sort of silvery in the right light).

"What she's doing for a period of time, and that includes writing down things like: talking to James Potter, dipping her feet in the Black Lake while accompanied by Sirius Black, giggling secrets to each other with Lily Evans, singing along with Peter Pettigrew to A Hot Broom by the Linkins, or possibly, doing homework with Remus Lupin. There's a check list on the side that I have to tick if I notice anything suspicious-looking happening to her."

Lily, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter stared at Chu Lien with amazement. "How do you know us?" Peter asked with squinted eyes.

"I was assigned the task of monitoring everything that happens to my cousin," Chu Lien shrugged. "I had to study and memorize all the the people she knew, their hobbies and backgrounds, those kinds of things, because according to magical medical textbooks, a lot of social factors affect and influence a patient under a delicate condition."

They blinked, all except for Alex, who was looking at her fingernails in boredom. "She has this useful disease called the Maalala Stimuli, which helps her to remember things easily. But then, it kind of sucks that she could remember the exact words of what her ex-boyfriends would say when he breaks up with her. Sad, really. She could give you a run for your money, when it comes to studying and memorization of exactly the same lines as the textbook though, Lily."

"Remarkable cousin you've got there," Remus said in much enthusiasm. It looked like he never encountered a person quite like Chu Lien before. "The Maalala Stimuli is a rare condition that only around fifty to sixty magical folk in the world have, She can recount everything that has happened to her life, right down to what the size of shoe and what kind she wore at the age of six, July 17."

"Is that a random date or is it something significant to you?" James teased Remus, who looked like he didn't hear him, since he was in his own little world of fascination towards Chu Lien.

"Yes, it is a random day for me," Chu Lien cocked her head to the side and lifted a brow up. "My shoe was a size four, it was a pair of white silk ballet flats that my mother had bought for me the week before. If you don't want to hear everything that happened to me for the day, let me know, because it was a rather boring day, with wilted roses in the bush, and I woke up to the sound of the dog barking, because it caught on fire again, and I sat up and felt a pain in my head before getting up and putting on those ballet flats without touching the floor. I wore those flats for the whole day, and I just sat on the couch, playing with a new dragon toy that my mother brought home for me the night before. The dragon would--"

"I think we get the idea of what Moony was trying to explain," Sirius politely put up his hand, as he was too baffled of the overwhelming events that seemed to occur just in these few fifteen minutes. There was a certain luminescence that was there that had never been in there before, for Alex was simply beaming.

"So you're still going to take the exams then?" Lily queried, finding the Maalala Stimuli not enough to hold her attention. Who even wanted to remember everything that had been happening to them for the whole day?

"Yeah. I don't see why not. The whole sixth year would seem useless if I don't take it. The N.E.W.T.s will be next year. I can't wait! Graduating is something that I've been dreaming about since I was ten. I wasn't even studing in Hogwarts yet, but man, did I want that magic spell cast upon me already when we graduate."

"Magic spell?" Lily said with a quizzical look on her face. "Don't we get a diploma or a scroll?"

"Get your head out of the gutter," Alex knocked on the top of Lily's head softly, and Chu Lien scribbled frantically in her corner. "That's muggle graduations. We do something different. The Headmaster of the time will tap your head with the tip of his wand. It's some spell that only the Hogwarts Headmasters know, and they pass it on, through their portraits. It's really cool, once you'vedigested the fact that it's been passed on for centuries and no one has still figured it out. It's not something really special, but a special gift will be bestowed upon you. One of your talents that may help you succeed in life will be honed into perfection because of that spell, the good or the bad."

"How come I've never heard of that?" Lily said in slight outrage. There wasn't anything about those stuff in Hogwarts, a History or any of the school history books that she'd read.

"Obviously, my parents told me," Alex shrugged. "I was actually supposed to study over at Beijing with Chu Lien, the only time her name ever came up, but I pleaded them to let me stay. I really wanted to graduate from Hogwarts."

"Why did they want you to study all the way in Beijing?" Remus asked kindly, so as not to offend Alex or Chu Lien, who studied there.

"The cirriculum was better there," Alex explained, reddening a little at admitting that it was better than Hogwarts. "They have Dragonology, which is a subject that everyone is mandatory to take as soon as they're in fifth year. They also have Philosophy and Glassarts from the subjects to choose on. Oh, Glassarts is magic arts. It's quite popular there in Asia, most of them in wealthy people's houses. Not many people have the diligence or the talent to make Glassarts, so it's very pricey."

"What is it?" James asked, and by the look on Remus and Lily's faces, they seemed like they found it quite hard to believe that a pureblood wizard didn't know what Glassarts were.

"It's shattered glass, broken down into fine, almost sandy pieces," Alex continued calmly, looking out the window with a faraway look in her face. "They use that to make sculptures, and not only that, the glass pieces aren't stuck together at all. They hover, forming a sculpture without touching the other small sandy glass, and they still have a definable shape with extraordinary detail. It doesn't have a stand. It just merely floats, almost alive, as the glass quivers, still not touching each other, and the glass doesn't scratch or hurt. It takes almost half a year to perfect a sculpture, since you have to enchant the glass to float forever, and to stay in its shape. My family has one in the house, newly bought, in my bedroom, as a welcoming gift, I suppose. That's probably the only one that we'll ever own, since it cost them a fortune."

"And what do you mean by Philosophy?" Peter asked this time. Alex shrugged and turned to Chu Lien, who looked up from her clipboard and sighed, as if she didn't like playing teacher and explaining things for them to understand.

"It's kind of like religion," Chu Lien started, looking out the window with the same thoughtful look as Alex had done earlier. "I don't know what you believe, and I know Alex is Catholic, but my family believes in the words of Confucius."

It startled them that it took to a turn of something that they hardly discussed in school. After all, wasn't magic normally portrayed as a devilish act against God? "Anyway," Chu Lien continued, seeing that Alex's friends had a bit of a confused look in their faces. "We basically get to say anything we want during that subject. It's like debate and religion. There are a lot of disturbing things that they talk about there. Most of the people who major in that field often get assasinated. I'm not even allowed to talk to you about it."

They were intrigued, definitely.

"And the grounds there are wider," Chu Lien added as a second-thought. "In B.I.M.D., we have big imperial castles that could rival the emperor's castle. It's hidden, of course, but you get the point. There are just really a variety of courses there that give you a wider range for the future. It's not easy studying there, but everyone who was able to graduate from there had pretty good lives after. Not everyone can stand the challenges of school there, so they move to Sun Wizarding School when they can't handle it. We have two schools there in China. B.I.M.D. is kind of like an elite school."

"Yeah, and the only ones I remembered were Philosophy and Glassarts and Dragonology because those were the things tht my parents badgered me about when I was just nine years old," Alex grinned. "Doesn't matter to me though. The school's in Asia are supposed to be really high standard, and I don't think I could handle being that smart and talented anyway."

"You would have been a good asset to Fleiku though, if you took that subject. It's available for the third years. It's too bad that you stopped training when you started attending Hogwarts. You were a natural, and you looked like you were performing a dance on stage," Chu Lien smiled kindly, showing dimples on her cheeks that Alex also had. At the looks of more perplexity, Alex expounded.

"I started Fleiku when I was five years old. It's wizarding martial arts, with a combination of dance and fight. And we have a hover charm set on us for five minutes of the match. It's hard, since control is crucial, and balance. Imagine no gravity and trying to fling yourself towards the opponent who's on the other side of the room. It's a hard art to master. Everything in the Beijing Institute of Magic and Dragonology is hard, so it's understandable why the sport is included in things to major in."

"It's like we're getting to know a whole new person," Sirius observed, taking in all of the facts about her life that she hadn't stated until now, since she never talked about her Chinese origin, not because of shame, but because it never came up.

"You never really asked me. Not even Lily. I just assumed that you thought I was just brought up a Brit and that my parents' ancestors had migrated here a long time ago. Actually, my mother isn't whole Chinese, since she's also part Spanish and was originally from a country there in Asia that's nearly Westernized in culture. That's where her family is. My grandfather Jose and grandmother Mely are still there, and we visit them sometimes. We have a big family there. The Maalala Stimuli was originally found there, with the first case recorded in 1647. My dad's mostly Brit, but got some foreign blood in him as well. You could tell by our last name."

It was the first time that she spoke of her diseased mother without having a sorrowful tone in her voice. Whenever her mother used to come up, she would skulk out the room and someone would find her violently chopping a big rock with the Diffindo spell.

"So that's where you got those good looks," Sirius lightened the mood, diverting the attention in case someone brought Alex's mother up. "You're like one of those 'Amerasian' people, but your dad's a Brit, so, it's called Brasian? Huh. Anyway, those interbred people end up looking really good-looking. Look at those kids who have Yankee dads and Asian mums, good mix of genetics, I say. They've got the good colored eyes that are kind of small, but they've got a little brown in their hair, and they've got really nice-colored skin, a nice creamy color, like milk filled with a small tinge of chocolate syrup."

They stared at him, and then hey burst out laughing.

"One, I don't have colored eyes," Alex was smiling hugely. "Two, my hair is purely black, and three, my skin is a bit darker than tha creamy color that you're describing. You've got your information all unsorted."

James looked from his best mate to Lily's best mate. There was something funny going on between them, with that look on their faces. James realized what it could be and was amused and felt like gagging at the same time. They were actually flirting in their own subtle way.

After the episode of love right before she left for her surgery, Sirius had remained in the hopes that she would want him even when she came back. James found it really funny that the two of them were being very civilized with each other. And now that she was technically a widow, she was allowed to start trysting with anyone she pleased.

Speaking of civilized, that was the perfect adjective to explain what his relationship with Lily Evans was like. With her best friend gone for a long time, she had reolved to making friends with the Marauders. Of course, it was in her preference to be friends with Remus instead of with him, but it was only because Remus was a fellow that she could trust and most relate with. That had been enough for him though, since he could easily scoop out a lot of information from Remus with him aware or pretending to be unaware of it.

"Do I have to know anything that's been going on around here?" Alex leant back on her armchair and closed her eyes, prepared for long speeches about people suspecting where she's been.

True to prediction, it was what they told her. "They didn't believe that your grandmother was in poor health," Lily said sternly, pursing her lips and rolling her eyes. "They said that there wasn't much reason for you to be leaving just because your grandmother wasn't in the best shape."

"So people made theories about your disappearance," Remus put in. "Lal Addison has been noticed missing as well, and it wasn't long before they connected both of you gone and suspected something that was in some form malicious."

"Well, these are schoolmates, and they have nothing better to do than make up stories." Peter shrugged.

"And being in this isolated bubble called school, there isn't really much news that stir around here unless it happens to one of the students," James shook his head. "It's a shame that only some people are exciting enough to have lives worth talking about. That's a downside for being interesting. Everyone knows everything about you."

"Except that obvious bit that you're actually Chinese," Sirius smirked, pointedly looking at Chu Lien, who was immersed in writing down everything that was happening, like a secretary of some sorts, noting down the minutes of the meeting. "Do you know that everyone in the school would know about that within the next few hours? It's amazing how students work. They don't even need a newspaper to know about these kinds of things. Maybe we could make one magazine or something and make some extra galleons off of this. It seems as if people are very interested in it."

"That would take a lot of work," James waved the idea away. He was well-off, and he didn't need the extra knut. Remus and Peter may have had less glamorous living addresses than he did, but they got on all right. Everyone in present company didn't need it anyway. "And other than bothering about studies and Quidditch, we'll have to bother about making a scandal for ourselves. Merlin knows that we never put evidences in writing. It could be taken against us."

"Don't get your boxers in a twist," Sirius said, with a hint of annoyance in his tone. "I was only joking. Like I'd want the extra work."

"Anyway," Lily continued, over the loud discussion the boys were having. "They thought that it would be very nice to make up stories about you going into hiding with Lal, who offered to come with you for support. I say, it's better that they think the lies than the concept of the real truth. At least then you wouldn't have to suffer the indiginity of it all."

"And then the Slytherins are talking about something else too," James said darkly. "They're saying that LoVo wants something in your mansion. There's some ancestral thing that he wants there. Maybe it's true, and maybe it's not, but I heard that the Order of the Phoenix has security there at your place. Whether your dad knows about it or not, I don't have a clue."

"Order of the Phoenix?" Alex muttered with vague interest, still not opening her eyes. "What the devil do they mean by it? Isn't that the resistance from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"Yeah, well, of course me and Prongs would want to know if Dumbledore would be a Headmaster that we could trust," Sirius said, sounding like the biggest snoop. "With times like these, you can't expect us to trust anyone just because they're respected. A good example are the loads of those Slytherins with their heaps of gold and they're not the biggest people that you could trust."

"We're planning to join when we graduate," James said seriously.

"There's no joking around like that. That's serious business," Alex finally fluttered her lids open to shock James with the intensity of her gaze. Lily felt a strange pang of annoyance. She didn't like that James had reacted to her because of the eyes.

"Who said that we're joking around?" Sirius said breezily, standing up to open a window. It was a beautiful afternoon that was dawning upon them, and the cool breeze was what they needed. "It's probably the most serious decision that we're ever going to make in our entire lives."

"I have to start studying for the exams," Alex stood up abruptly. "Thank you. I'll be down for dinner shortly."

"Did we say anything wrong?" she heard someone say as she headed up the stairs of the Girls Dormitory, tailed by her cousin, who found it a relief to be away from rambling adolescent talk of resistance from Lord Voldemort, when they couldn't even get their own acts straight.

--

The exams rolled on, and before they knew it, summer was setting on them without a warning sign. It turned out, that Alex had been slowly turning into a different person. She was more rational, although there were impulsive times when she would act up and think of something wild to do. This felt more natural to her, not caring about the pressure of the image of what she exuded anymore. It felt like a long time ago, those nights by the lake contemplating about the easygoing and mellow vibes that only masked the real things that she was feeling inside. She used to put that mask on because of what other people expected from her. She had been a people-pleaser, and it was only now that she realized that being a people-pleaser was very tiring, so she just chucked off the mask and bore the soul that was coming out.

Surprisingly, this more reserved Alex seemed to draw people in much more. That new sense of mystery and intimidation made them tilt toward her, like she had some magnetic force of attraction for everyone. It was different. She just wasn't a pretty face now, but someone with depth, stimulating. She was now intriguing.

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. This didn't apply so much to her however, since she didn't recognize Sirius anymore than she did before. Sirius had been confused at what the two of them were. If that kiss meant something to her as much as it did to him, he didn't know what to make of it, and she didn't give a clue about what she felt about it either.

The only inkling of certainty that it wasn't a dream was when she and Sirius had been alone in the common room, the last day before summer, and she had managed to wave off Chu Lien away from her. Their friends were still down for dinner, and Sirius had offered to stay with Alex, who decided to skip dinner because she had a lot of things to pack.

"I know that I'm a bit hot and cold," she quietly mumbled, while she was sorting out a few books on the table. She left a lot of her things in the common room, since she was too lazy to bring it up to the dormitory, which she hardly spent her time in. Half of her things were down here, scattered, and they were collecting it. They were the only two people there at the time, since everyone was down at the feast. "And I'm betting you're very annoyed with me."

Sirius, who had other things on his mind as he collected some stray quills in a corner, turned to look at her with curious eyes. "Hot and cold about what?"

"I'm assuming that you've been confused on how I left you before I came back from surgery?" she asked, a little surprised that she had been replied to with a less-than-attentive answer.

"Oh, that," he said, a little nonchalantly. It didn't bother him so much as he expected it would. He may have been perplexed, but he was definitely unmoved by it. "I don't mind, really. I'm kind of used to it by now," he admitted sheepishly.

She smiled slyly. "Oh, really? You're getting used to it now, are you?"

"Not that I enjoy being ignored," he added quickly, flashing his infamous smile. "I just...learn not to expect too much anymore. We're too alike, and I don't like feeling limited either. 'Course I know what you're feeling. I don't blame you."

She looked at him intently, and both of them stood there, sizing each other up for a few seconds, before she spoke. "You can see right through me, can't you?"

"Far from it, actually. I'm attempting to learn, but with poor results."

"You're doing a mighty job of it though. Sometimes, you make me feel like an open book."

"What were you saying earlier, then?"

The most sincere smile that she ever exhibited in her whole life brightly lit as she modeled it in front of him. "You won't forget that, will you?"

"What are you trying to say? If I felt confused before, I'm a bit mind-blown right now."

"So where do we stand?" she said, like it was a business proposition.

He walked closer to her, and gathered her in his arms. "I dunno about you, but I'm contented where I'm standing right now."

Then she lifted her head and he lowered his, pressing their lips together in another kiss, but this time, it wasn't a forget-me-not, it was a remember me? kiss. He felt her smiling as his tongue prodded inside her lips. She stood on her tiptoes and his hands searched for the warm skin of her back. The void that had been empty suddenly filled up, and they held each other tightly, unwilling to let go.

They jumped apart at the sound of the portrait hole slamming open, but not before the culprit had witnessed it. A couple of fifth year girls were staring as they filed in, giggling, no doubt planning to tell their friends in the other Houses of what they had seen.

"Want to go down?" he offered, stepping aside to let her through first.

"Yeah, let's go. I hope there's still some left," she grinned, holding onto his hand and pulling him out with her.

--

"So we find out about the two of you through a couple third years who were shouting about it impolitely to each other in the hallway," James observed the careful distance between Sirius and Alex. It was far enough not to be suspected of fondling, and near enough to look at each other. They were next to the windows, on opposite seats of each other. "That's a bit of a rude way of informing your friends."

Alex looked out the window. In truth, both of them were unsure of what their status was. They hadn't gone public about it, because...well, because the times they kissed each other didn't mean them being an item, because she was always connected to Lal. Now, they weren't sure where to begin. He'd never officially asked a girl to be his girlfriend, since the girl just assumed that they were together, which would suddenly surprise him when they started calling him 'baby' or random pet names that gave them hopes of claiming him. And he knew that Alex had never assumed that she was in a relationship if she was never asked, that's why every lusty thing and kiss had ended up so casual after and never ended up with them together.

She has to get used to it, Sirius thought. He had no intention of asking her. He was too used to his own ways already. It was all right for him where they were. Alex had the same mutual feeling. She didn't want him to ask her, since that would be just too awkward. No, Sirius was a special case. He wasn't some random handsome fellow that she came upon and flirted with. He wasn't an upperclassman that she found dashing and alluring, like she felt when Lal asked her out. Sirius was someone that she knew very well, and she couldn't act like that around him.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" James said expectantly. The both of them shook their heads in response. "Geez. We finally have something happening between you two and you're both solemn about it."

"I didn't say that I would be noisy about it, if it ever happened," Alex rolled her eyes. "I just said that I didn't want it to happen, as much as possible."

"And look where that got her," Sirius said, a little too smug. "It's too rich."

Lily watched their babbling a little sadly. There they go again, and here Alex is again, getting what she wants. Not even a month of grief could consume her for her late husband. She immediately got someone to replace that gap that only a lover could fill, while Lily still had an empty hole.

What bothered Lily was that she was staying over at James' house, and she didn't understand why it bothered her. She was infuriated by the worry and...jealousy? that was mixing up inside of her. Of course, there was a perfect explanation of why Alex would be staying over there. There might be a danger of Death Eaters coming to her house, and her father had asked the Potters (who were close friends of his) to lodge her for a third of the summer. Alex desperately wanted to go home to make sure that her father would be safe, and spend as much time with him. They were both still grieving for mother and wife's death, and they needed the comfort.

It was just too bad that the comfort that should have been shared while Alex was in confinement, turned out into more distress for Ralph Hernandez. There wasn't much time to grieve for his wife, while grieving for his daughter as well. Alex wanted to make sure that her father had the stability to stay alone first, before she would go over to the Potters. She wouldn't have gone at all if it wasn't necessary. She was afraid that her father might do something rash, being all alone in that big house of theirs, but her father had insisted on her stay at the Potters. He wanted her out of the way and in safety.

What scared Alex was the possibility of being an orphan.

Soon, everything was settling down in the compartment, and the boys were out doing last bits of mischief, Chu Lien (who had now been dubbed Choo-choo by the boys) was out looking for the bathroom. Lily and Alex finally had time to talk with just the two of them together.

"I'm scared," Alex let down her indifference for the first time. "I don't want dad alone there. He's going to be an easy target if there really is anything that he's hiding in the house. I don't know much about what he does, or if he's even in the Order at all! I hardly know what my dad does for a living!"

"It won't make him a harder target to have you in the house," Lily stated the odds bluntly, but added kindly, "Not that you're not a good witch. It's just that Death Eaters won't be as forgiving as other people when they see a pretty girl. They might even just tease you and give you over to Greyback, which is a much worse death than the Killing Curse, if you ask me. It's not Hogwarts, Lex. In Hogwarts, you got away from being cursed and hexed because you were pretty, and you usually had someone to protect you from jealous girls. You mightn't have noticed that, but I sure did. Your dad will be better off protecting just one life, instead of being distracted at trying to save his daughter."

Alex sighed in frustration. Lily was always the smarter one, the one who made all the sense. Whenever she said something, it came across as easy to do, the most logical thing, but Alex's heart ruled her and she was only slightly comforted by the words. She was convinced now, however, that staying at the Potters would be the best idea.

"Is it all right with you?" Alex said suddenly, facing Lily. "Is it all right that I'm in this arrangement? You wouldn't be jealous?"

Lily started at this and her cheeks filled with blood. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous?"

"Oh, don't start playing dumb with me. I saw you giving me a few glares now and then, and those were after I told you the news where I would be spending most of my summer. I may be an airhead sometimes, a tad bit unobservant to people who aren't you, but the one thing I'm not is dim, Lily. You're starting to like him, I see."

Lily stayed silent to keep her dignity, and Alex continued. "I'll invite you over to the Potters, anytime you want. You could even be there everyday. Just owl me. And envy isn't an option for you to feel when it comes to me and James. I don't feel a thing for him, except for that touch of annoyance that you feel for a brother, and the same fondness that you have with a sibling. The closeness we share is a bond for a want of a sibling, and we treat each other as brother and sister, because we're both single child in the family. It's a common thing between the two of us. That's the only reason that you could be jealous, because you could never have that bond with him. But other than that, I forbid you to be jealous of me for trivial things such as romancing him and the idea of me stealing him from you.

"I am insulted that you even thought of that. I am above being 'the other woman'. And besides, James is madly in love with you, remember? And Sirius will be there at the Potter mansion most of the time as well, I presume, even if he got that inheritance from his uncle. Sirius can't stand being alone more than I do."

They were both just balancing out each other. While Lily just stated facts and things about Alex and her safety and her father, making things sound logical and had a reasonable explanation, Alex just did the same logical reasoning with Lily. Hearts sometimes blinded people and the only person who could probably make you see again is your best friend. Lily felt warm towards Alex. She never thought of Sirius being there, and she didn't think that she could go over to the Potters during the course of the vacation. All that was stuck in her mind was that Alex would be all alone with James in the mansion of his.

"I don't think summer is giving us a good start," Lily laughed lightly, showing her amazingly white teeth to Alex. "You have to slap me the next time that I feel jealous. So, what about you and Sirius? The topic really was explained very well when you were talking to James."

Alex pouted her lips and raised a brow, looking at Lily with suspicion. "You're not going to bother about it like James has, are you? You know that I don't exactly tell you my romantic stories, not even when it came to Lal. I'm not changing that because it just happens that Sirius is someone close to all of us."

"I'm just saying that I think you hid it too well, and I don't like knowing things about you from other people. It makes me feel like an incompetent friend."

"You don't need to know anything new. Same old, same old, except it's kind of official now. And besides, you know the story about how we lost it to each other, and the other stories connected. You don't need to know anything else, not that there's something that I'm not saying, which there isn't."

"Don't you feel a little hesitant?"

"Hesitant about what?"

"You know, that you have Lal's heart inside you and that you're dating the guy that he pretty much loathed. I'm thinking that it doesn't want you to."

Alex smiled humorlessly. "That's the part that I wanted to avoid. You don't miss a single detail, do you?"

"I'd like to believe that I don't."

"It's not tough, it's just...challenging? Of course, I feel responsible for Lal's death, and he's in here, somewhere. I can feel it. For sometime now, the reason why I've been a lot colder and more distant is because I'm embodying some of the characcteristics Lal had. It seems as if people have accepted it as a part of me, and in many ways, I'm like this. It's just that Lal and his heart are both helping me to come out of my shell."

"I hope he doesn't realize that his heart is helping you live to fall for someone else."

--

"Darling, would you call Alexandra to come down to dinner?" Mrs. Potter said a little crossly to her only son. James and Sirius looked at each other, and Sirius wordlessly volunteered to fetch her for him. James stayed with his mother to help her set the table. Mrs. Potter didn't enjoy bossing around the house-elf, and she found it useless to ask him to set the table when James was perfectly capable of doing them himself. Setting the table was about the only chore that his mother required of him.

Sirius headed up two flights of stairs, through the servants staircase, which was the fastest way. This house dated back since the 17th century, when James' ancestors blended in with the muggles and had titles like dukes and earls. He headed toward one of the only two doors on the landing. The other door was his bedroom, and the other one was Alex's.

Without thinking, he opened the door and said, "James' mum wants us to have dinner..."

He was cut short on his sentence when he found her slumped on the floor, a picture in her hand and her face pouring with tears. Sirius quickly rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her head. He glanced at the picture, a woman that so resembled Alex and a six year-old little girl that was a younger Alex, were both smiling up at them. The woman was carrying Alex and kept pressing her lips to her daughter's pinchable cheeks. Little Alex was clapping in delight, unaware that the older version of her was disheveled and miserable.

Sirius didn't say anything. There really wasn't anything much to say, and sometimes, the best thing to do was to just leave the person to their own thoughts. They sat there in a few minutes of silence, as he waited for her to right herself and rub off the tears in her eyes.

He got to his feet and held his hand out for her to take. She hoisted herself up with the help of that hand and she exited without saying a word. He followed her out and down the stairs. James and his parents were already seated at the table, waiting for the two of them to arrive, when they came.

"Sorry we took so long," Alex grinned theatrically, flourishing her dinner napkin before placing it on her lap daintily. "I was in the bathroom and Sirius had to wait for a while before I opened the door to let him in."

"That's all right dear," Mrs. Potter smiled. "Come and have some soup. You too Sirius."

"Are the two of you were dating?" Mr. Potter said with a teasing voice. "Don't think that I'm too old to know what you kids could get up to at night. I'm not that daft. I'm just thinking if it's making it easier for the two of you when your rooms are right next to each other. I'm thinking of making it harder for the two of you."

James, Sirius and Alex stared spinning their soup in awkward embarrassment. It wasn't really a good table conversation, talking about Sirius and Alex hot and heavy while horizontal on the bed, especially when it's with parents.

"Oh," Alex cleared her throat. "You don't have to worry about that, Mr. Potter. We're decent kids, and I lock my door all the time. Sirius is enough of a gentleman to back off if I refuse, and I will always refuse, under this household. Plus, Sirius has a place of his own now, so...that's not necessary."

"I wasn't implying that you shouldn't," said James' dad, not taking the hint that they all wanted to move on from the subject. "I know what it's like being a teenager. It's just that there's more fun to it when there's a challenge, and the thrill of getting caught."

"Blech, dad," James whined. "Can we please not talk about that stuff? I think we're all going to throw up in our soup if we continue. We don't have to talk about it. Not now, not ever."

"Let them be what they are, Harold," Mrs. Potter said wisely, without making them feel awkward. "And start eating, or I'm feeding your portion of beef to the dog."

"So, when is it your turn to introduce a lovely girl for us, James?" his father turned to his son this time. James saw Alex look back at him as he glimpsed at her for reference.

"I dunno," said James, unable to deliver an impressive speech about a girl coming over this summer for him to introduce. "Ask Alex. She's best friends with the one that I'm trying to bring home to you both. That girl's proving very hard to persuade."

"James hasn't exactly been nice to her or her friends either, so it's no surprise," Alex commented breezily. "You can ask Chu Lien. She studied literally everything that has gone on in your lives. I'll bet she knows your deepest secrets. Merlin knows that she finds your crush on Lily a it pathetic. She told me once, you know. She asked me why she didn't like you so much. Choo-choo said that you seemed decent, a plausible person with good breeding and delivers proper manners to those you respect, and she didn't get why, even with all those taunting mean years at Hogwarts, Lily still isn't considering you now."

"Well, go ask Lily why don't you," James raised his eyebrows. It was the first time that Alex talked about Choo-choo saying anything about them. Normally, her cousin was just there, to inform a fact or two, and share some stories about her life, but she had never gave the illusion that she knew anything that was going on around her and hardly showed any interest in people's love lives.

"Who's that Chu Lien?" James' mother inquired. "It's the first time that her name was brought up. Sounds like someone clever. Is she a mind Healer or something? She's awfully analytical."

"She's my Healer cousin from China," Alex replied, slicing a piece of meat on her plate. "She was assigned to be my Observer after the surgery. It was her job to know everything about the people around me, and their family backgrounds. Social effects and that sort of thing."

"That's one diligent woman, noting everything in her head about this lot," she pointe her fork at James and Sirius. "It probably took her a day for each one of them and the things they got up to, not to mention the family background. I pity the poor girl."

"And I thought that your parents were completely oblivious to everything that you guys were doing," Alex smiled brilliantly, for the first time really dazzling James' parents. They've seen her as a child, but never as a young woman who was growing into someone who could be quite beautiful. "I applaud you for keeping sane after all these years."

--

"'I will always refuse, under this household,'" Sirius said in a poor impersonation of Alex's voice. "Yeah, but you won't once you're out of the house. I think that it's lack of self-control."

They were in Sirius' small modest apartment. It was one of those days that Alex invited Lily over James' place and 'accidentally forgot' that she was supposed to meet up with Sirius, and left Lily alone with James. None of the two ever complained.

Right now, Sirus and Alex were lying next to each other in his small single bed. It was a tight fit, but they weren't whining. The only thing that Alex was annoyed about was that she felt him harden on the back of her bare thigh.

"Don't tell me that you're loaded again!" she said with half-incrudelity and half-amusement. "There's only so much I can take in one day!"

"Well, it's not my fault," Sirius grinned, slinking his arm around her waist and kissing her shoulder blade, where her scar never vanished. "If anything, it's yours. I don't believe that I've ever done it this much in just one year. We fit that all in one day. I call that a world record."

"And I call you a horny git," she squirmed out of his arms and jumped off the bed, grinning evilly. "You get rid of that yourself, because frankly, my body is sore and that part that I have that you don't have can't handle any more today."

Sirius sat up, stretching and flexing his lazy muscles. Alex was breathtakingly unclothed, except for that small, sheer black knickers that she managed to squeeze herself into before getting out of the bed. She crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously, as Sirius observed her from his secure place under the blankets.

"Get rid of that," she said firmly, heading into the bathroom.

Sirius scrambled out of the bed and pushed the door to the bathroom before she could lock it closed. She fell back in alarm, and kicked him in the shins. He ignored the pain and stumbled toward her in the cramped bathroom. The shower was already streaming as they staggered back clumsily.

"What the hell, Sirius?!" she shouted at him, her hair soaked already and she kicked him once more. His hands were on either side of her waist, planted on the wall, and she flattened herself against the tiled wall, trying to resist temptation. "I told you to get rid of that yourself."

"I don't enjoy that," he smiled, bending down his head and sucking the skin on her neck. "I'd prefer it here, thank you. And did ou expect me to take a bath alone, really? That's feeble thinking on your part."

She gave in, eventually, just as he knew she would. The succeeding times were better than their first, because they weren't clumsy or awkward or nervous anymore. Yes, it was painful on her part, but it was wonderful as well, every single time, and he didn't want it to hurt, so he kissed the pain away as much as he could, whenever he saw her wince, whimper involuntarily or emit a gasp that was not because of pleasure. Damned it, how he loved her.

Once done, and they were dressing, Sirius noticed a minor detail about her (as he never got the habit of missing any details about her to stop).

"How come you're always dressing in black?" he wondered out louds, while pulling his jeans up. "Or if not black, something equally dark."

She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder to glance at him as she bended over, fixing the ends of her black python-skin leggings. "It's a Chinese thing. You have to wear black or dark colors for a period of time when in mourning a death. I guess some customs stuck with me, even if I don't take a load of the traditions seriously."

She then rummaged through the clothes that she had stocked in his apartment and scooped out a black dress shirt that would effectively hide her bum, and a silver sequins-lined black vest. Even her underwear was black. Sirius found this taxing and furrowed his brow as he pulled a shirt over his head and shoved his feet into his trainers.

"I don't think James' dad is totally unaware of what we're doing out of their house though," she mused, as they walked out of the building. They Disapparated and she continued while walking over to the Potters. "He's quite paranoid though."

"I don't blame him, with all of the things that his son got up to at school, not to mention having our lot as his friends."

"Are you scared, Sirius?" she asked abruptly, quietly.

"Scared of what?" he said, feeling calm and vaguely amused. "Scared of James' dad? No, of course I'm not scared of his dad. Why would I be?"

"No," she said, a little impatiently, like she couldn't stand him being so slow with some things. "Are you scared with what's happening right now? I mean...my mum--"

Her voice broke just then, and she cleared her throat, mumbling something about the 'confounded sugar quills' before looking away and discreetly taking away Sirius' arm off her waist. Sirius wasn't just a little annoyed. He was a bit offended, at least. He had the sudden urge to smoke a cigarette, a habit that he quit just after a month of trying it last summer, among other things.

Last summer seemed like far away, with names of girls that he couldn't remember anymore. He had fun, that was certain, but there was always something missing, and he had a desire to rid of his virginity at the time. Alex, then, had just been a distant friend whom he compared other girls with. He had been considering some few candidates for something meaningful, but his mind would always wander back to Alex, who he seemed to crave more and more each year. There hadn't been anything happening to them yet, that summer, and Sirius was pretty sure that mostly, he felt lust for her at the time.

It was only now that he seemed to realize that it meant something deeper to love.

"Why, are you?" asked Sirius, finding it beyond him to feel fear. There wasn't any need for it, since fear proved useless especially when it came to times when you didn't need it.

"Not for me, no," she said quietly. "I'm scared for everyone else. Let them take me, for all I care. The only shame in that is that Lal had to lose his life. He would've died in vain if I didn't at least try to live a life that he envisioned for me."

Sirius still didn't like hearing Lal's name out loud. It was as if Lalic was a higher form of human being, the way she always reveled him in her tone of voice. It made Sirius feel a little less of a man, for Lalic Addison was the one who preferred to give his life up for her, rather than see her gone from the world. Sirius didn't like to admit that it was a noble act, and something that even he was unsure of being able to do. He found this troubling. If Lal had the guts and the love to do that for her, then why couldn't he be certain, even hypothetically?

"I wonder what James and Lily have been up to," Alex mused, trotting over a few paces ahead of him. He noticed that she didn't seem to like physical touch between them when they were out in public. That never used to be an issue before, when it came to Lal and her, and so, Sirius felt an understandable envy inside of him.

When they arrived at the Potter mansion, they found Lily ad James laughing and sharing stories on the floor in front of the fireplace, which, despite the heat of the day, was still lit. Lily and James had a couple of snacks laid down on the coffee table behind them.

"So," Lily assessed the two of them as they entered. "That's a different outfit from the one that you were wearing earlier."

Alex shrugged, letting it slide and to allow Lily in making her own assumptions as to what they have been doing for the past four hours. "You know me, always ready for anything. And I got very wet, mind you, so I was thankful that I packed a few extra clothes. You never know what to expect when it comes to these boys."

"I better go," Sirius said, a little uncomfortably. He couldn't help but have the feeling that they interrupted James and Lily at a wrong time. James didn't even give a hint of acknowledgment when they came in. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess?"

James looked at him, smiled and nodded, not inclining to get up. He was a little fazed by Lily, and their long talk today. It was very nice. It disappointed him greatly that their conversation had to end when they were just reaching the climax of things.

"I'll walk you out then," Alex offered, heading toward the door already. Sirius stood just outside the door, waiting for a word of departure from her. "Bye, Sirius," she neared her face near his, and he was just ready for a kiss, and their lips where only a few centimeters away from each other and then she pulled back quickly, winked and smiled at him. She closed the door after one fleeting moment, and Sirius just realized that he wasn't breathing.

Damn her. She just kept him coming back for more.

--

What were they doing? The thought had arisen in their minds at the same time, just as the middle of summer had come rolling. Alex was at the window of her room in the Potter mansion, staring out at the large garden below, watching James, Sirius and Remus up to their boy time. James and Sirius had once again ganged up on Remus and the latter was running away from them, shouting something that she couldn't hear, but he had a big smile on his face. Peter had not been allowed this time, since he had duties to his household, whatever that meant. She was unaware of that mousy little boy's life, and wondered feebly what he really was like outside of school. Did he even have parents?

Moving on, she was staring out with her brows furrowed, with her heart not even softening to the boyish scene that was being displayed right before her.

She gazed intently at Sirius, trying to decipher what was going on inside her just by looking at that earnest face, which looked full of life, full of charm, full of everything that she thought she wanted for herself that she couldn't be. It was a nightmare. She supressed a sigh and slapped her wrist. The heart was beating frantically again and she could feel Lal in her. She gritted her teeth and looked back out, wondering where exactly this was leading her.

Sirius was outside, as she observed, and he hid a mask of confusion with a laughing countenance and bullying Remus. This wasn't right. His freedom was gone. This wasn't right. What could possibly be there to hold on to with the possibility of getting your heart hanging? He didn't want to feel this way. In fact, he wasn't planning to feel this way when she realized that he was actually less of the person that she thought he was and ended up leaving him for someone who actually deserved her. He felt this once before, after everything she had been through with Lal, and he didn't like it, and he didn't intend for the feeling to repeat once again. Once was enough, as far as he was concerned.

Don't do it, he repeated to himself. This was what she was talking about. This was the weakness that she had been afraid of. Sirius was far from saying it out loud, but he had to be frank with himself and admit that yes, he was definitely scared. There was so much to gain, but too much to lose.

But life was still waiting out there! There was too much of it! And he didn't think that he could stand being completely tied down to another person. It was unnerving, unsettling and bloody well fucked-up. Surely she felt something mutual with what he was feeling, since there wasn't much different from the two of them. There had to be something done.

--

A/N-Yes, yes. You might be thinking right now that there must be something wrong with me right now. :) Why put them together and then put the seed of doubt inside their minds already? So early? I have an answer to that: to make a very terribly brilliant impact. You won't keep reading me if you could predict it, would you? Review and tell me what you think. I like a lot of spice in the comments, and add suggestions. I keep these plots this way to stir your insides (maybe with hate, anger or elation?) so that you could tell me WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN SO THAT I MAY ACTUALLY WRITE SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO READ. Reviews. Thank you.


	16. Undone

A/N-Hello, hello. I've been absolutely exhausted with studying for the exams. I've been up for up to two in the morning just studying, so I've been behind on some of the stories. Thankfully, it's the weekend, so I can get on to this. Reviews!

--

"I think we have to talk," Sirius said, the normal glint in his eye gone.

"Yeah, I think so too."

They were in his apartment again, but this time, fully clothed, and were seated on opposite sides of each other. This seating arrangement was just a matter of coincidence, and it seemed as if perfectly timed for the event that was supposed to happen at this moment, and they could both feel it.

Tomorrow would be the day that she would be going back home to her father's home, seeing as there had ben no incidents of threat that may have put her in danger. Alex was relieved at this, for she needed time with her own family, and she sorely missed Chu Lien as well, who had been a link to her mother and her other ancestry. Hopefully, they would be able to have her over for dinner, and the rest of the family, now that she thought of it.

"I've had a blast," she started, ending the silence that was starting to wrap around them eerily. "I've never been happier, mind you. But...I think that we're too young for this true love nonsense."

"Yeah," Sirius nodded, uncertain at where he wanted to proceed. He had two options, whether to grovel and ask her to stay with him, or accept the truth of that matter and keep his dignity. "It's a bit unrealistic, isn't it?"

"Quite a bit, yeah," she said feebly. "I mean, we're both too used to freedom. I wasn't even entirely devoted to Lal when we were together all those years. I may have been faithful, but I was never the doting girlfriend that I think he wanted me to be more of."

"And we're...we're very similar," Sirius continued for her, seeing that they were both trying to reason everything with things that didn't need to be touched upon in the first place. They were just being two people who were afraid of committment. She was scared of being tied down right after being free for the first time, and he was unsure of wanting to give up his liberty so easily. "It's like fighting fire with fire. Nothing really happens. There's too many..."

"...there's too many things that aren't agreeing," she finished for him. "I'm so glad that we see eye to eye on things on this one."

"Maybe we should take a break?" Sirius suggested at the same time that she said, "I think that we should break up."

He stammered a little. No one in his life had ever broken up with him. He just wanted a break maybe, a breather, something to make him want her again when she got him jealous with her hanging around other guys again. But breaking up sounded as if they had no chance of being together again, and the way she said it sounded somewhat cruel and uninspiring.

"Things just aren't working," she said simply, standing up. There was an awkward silence that engulfed them that they never experienced before. It was the sort of silence that exes had, and it wasn't one that they enjoyed. "Thanks for all those times in bed though, they were really great. Best I've had, I'd say."

"Just like that?" he said, still not being able to overcome the fact that there wasn't anything involved anymore. He was free again, and he could take any random girl right now and take her up to this apartment without being bothered by something as trivial as a girlfriend.

"I guess so," she said, a little uncomfortably. "I'll see you around, maybe."

--

Three years later...

The streets were quiet and deserted. It wasn't unusual, for it was nearing midnight and the climate was unbearably cold, so the people were rushing into their sources of comfort and shelter, to retire from their long day and take a well-deserved rest.

There would be the occasional pub that would break the silence, of course, and there we shall go and observe the cheerfully drunk merriment that is going on inside one of those pubs.

Sirius Black was seated on one of the many rickety, finely aged stools lined along the bar and gulping his pint of beer. The muggles around him were all enjoying themselves, it seemed, and what strange uniqueness the feeling of laughter could bring. There wasn't much laughter in his life now, not when everything seemed like the end of the world. Death after death, missing person after missing person, the innocent jailed, and the murderers running free.

He didn't drink in wizarding pubs anymore. All of the wizarding folk were too scared to try to unwind and relax for even a couple of hours, and so, there wasn't the novelty of unwinding when no one would ever be around. Plus, these muggles were a lot less conservative than the magical community, as he soon learned, with girls sometimes dancing on tables, some resorting to undressing, and men having more of the guts to hit on anyone that they fancied. This was more of his kind of lot.

He discovered these things alone, since James had started a deeper bond with Lily than Sirius could ever have imagined. James refused to leave Lily all alone whenever Sirius proposed to have a little guy time, Remus wasn't interested in things like these, and Peter just didn't seem to grow out of his awkward phase. And so, Sirius went to pubs alone, drinking with kinder girls who kept him company instead.

There was something different about tonight though, he felt. One wizard could feel whenever a magical person was also in the midst of muggles, even if they never met. This is what Sirius felt at the moment, and he swiveled around on the stool and looked around the crowded pub, not entirely interested.

After a few seconds, he found what he was looking for, and he was bewildered, all haziness and sleepiness gone from his mind, replaced by soberness and elation. The magical being was chugging down a big mug of beer, battling the girl who was sputtering as she drank her own mug of beer. Unconsciously, Sirius began to walk toward the person, because he knew just who it was.

Alexandra Hernandez won the drinking contest, leaving her competitor snoring in a corner of their table. The girls around her were hooting loudly and men in the vicinity were staring with admiration at the speed she drank, and how unfazed she was when it was over. Her black hair that was formerly slightly wavy, was now unmessily straight until her waist. A pair of big, square sunglasses was perched on the top of her glossy head, and her lips were a lot fuller, redder. She looked longer, but it might have been only because of her black boots, which were made of dull black leather and high, kitten heels. She was clad in all black, just like the last time that he saw her, when they broke up.

"Ladies, ladies," she slung her arms over the shoulders of her nearest comapnions. "Thank you very much for this wonderful evening. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Sadly, I must say that I have to depart. I have some matters to attend to."

She stood up, with a vague look on her face as she waved goodbye to the women, who all waved back with smiled on their faces. She ran right into him.

"Watch where you're going," she barked as she hit him roughly on the shoulder with hers as she was passing.

He held onto her shoulder and she sneered...until she looked up and saw who was looking right back at her.

"Sirius Black. My, my, you haven't changed at all, or if you have, I think you've grown a lot more good-looking, if that's possible."

He dragged her out of the pub and shoved his hands into the pocket of his coat once they were outside. He started walking and she followed at a leisurely pace. "I didn't say that I would be coming with you," she informed him, waiting for him to say what he wanted.

"But you owe us all an explanation," he offered, still slightly amazed that she was right there with him, after three years of not having seen her. "You disappear by seventh year and leave no clue as what happened to you, well...you'll understand, won't you?"

"Fine," she said coolly, her walk becoming rhythmical. "I owe you at least that much. What do you want to know?"

"You never showed up in seventh year," he told her, in a slightly accusing tone. "Why?"

"I ended my magical education in Beijing," she answered. "My father wasn't as safe as he let on in the letter. Once I got back, he told me to pack everything that I needed and we would be leaving immediately for China the next day. We had to get out of the country, it seemed."

"You wouldn't leave without a fight, and I'm pretty sure that your dad will respect your opinion, if you ever chose to stay."

"I remember saying that our friendship would be a litle more different from before. Yes, I predicted that and remember the awkward silence that resumed after was not wanted? Well, I expected that when we would start seventh year, so I agreed to move with dad."

"Wasn't it your dream to have the spell cast on you?" he persisted. "You said so, and you left the last year."

"I decided that I could succeed on my own, with or without a spell. I don't rely on magic so dependently these days. That wish was a stupid one, on my part, because Beijing reallywas a far superior school, and didn't base itself solely on the magical craft."

"Well, what did you take? I hardly think that you would be able to catch up on the cirriculum there on your last year."

"I resumed my Fleiku training, took up Philosophy and majored in Warcraft," her heels clicked audibly on the pavement, and she didn't seem as if she had chugged down a huge pint of beer. "I still took all the standard subjects, like those in Hogwarts, meaning Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions. There was Defense Against the Dark Arts there too, but I found it useless when I was already taking Warcraft. I studied Runes and Arithmancy, just like before. It took a little getting used to, not to mention I had to learn the Chinese language as well, but I think I did all right. I was top of my class in Warcraft and was the best at Philosophy."

"But those are a lot," he said, in awe. "That's a lot of things to juggle all at one time. What about your N.E.W.T.s?"

"Our more advanced additional classes resumed until nighttime, meaning Philosophy and Warcraft for me, and Fleiku training was done after normal classes, one hour everyday. I had N.E.W.T.s on all my subjects, so that's self-explanatory."

She stopped abruptly, putting a hand in her coat and looked around with her sunglasses on. He found this highly entertaining, as if she thought that she was some spy who needed to wear sunglasses in the dark. Again, she started walking briskly, although she didn't remove her hand from her coat.

"Well, I've been talking about me all this time," she said softly. "Why don't you tell me what's been going on in your life so far?"

"Lily and James got married," said he. "Did you know that?"

She smiled, but didn't answer. He didn't know if it was a yes or a no. "And we're all in the Order," he whispered in a very low voice. It wasn't even smart to tell her that, not when she had vanished and only appeared now. She might have been a Death Eater, for all he knew, for there was something in her countenance that suggested mystery and suspicion. "Did that right after we graduated. It's been a very hectic life, so far. A lot of action right now, so I don't feel useless."

"What about you, are you married?"

He stopped to stare at her. "Me, get married? Are you sure you're thinking correctly? Why, are you?"

"I did, actually," she said, with no shame or feeling in her voice. Her voice was strangely controlled.

It was always automatic to look at the left hand whenever someone mentioned being married, and that's exactly what Sirius did. He glanced down at her hand, but it was gloved with sleek black leather. "You don't waste time, do you?" he said, trying not to sound bitter. Her appearance tonight made him remember how miserable he had been, and how much he wished that he didn't let her go that night.

"Actually," she gazed around again. "My husbands have an awful habit of dying. I'm widowed for the second time. He was a muggle with a title, so, you have the option of calling me Lady Alexandra, if you feel like it, but I find it highly unlikely. I'm terribly wealthy now.. and I don't even need the inheritance that my father has in store for me. Ralph had no other living relatives to give it to, and he had no siblings. We didn't have any children, since I thought it too early to bear a child for him, and he didn't want a toddler growing up with busy parents either."

"And how old was this husband of yours?" he tried not gritting his teeth.

"My late husband was nine years my senior, and I was eighteen when I married him," she waved away all the other details. "He was deceased no more than half a year later. He used to complain that I wasn't home enough, and the night that he was assasinated, I was...well, where as I? I was in Spain then...doing some professional business."

"Well, what do you do?" his intrigue heightening the more than she kept her mouth open. She was saying a lot, but she wasn't telling him anything either. It was as if she was hiding something. "You're different now. It's kind of...weird."

"Oh, you don't need to know what I do for a living," she purred, slipping her arm around his. "Not that I need to work for money, but it's something to do. It's just a bit of this and that really."

She slowly took off her gloved fingers, probably because they were starting to restrain her movement. She put both gloves inside her pocket and gripped his arm tightly. Sirius looked back down at her left hand, and he was astonished to find an expensive-looking ring encrusted with glinting with star-like diamonds. "Is that your wedding ring?" he asked.

"This?" she replied, as if she had completely forgotten what it was. "I'm engaged. Isn't that funny?"

"But you're nineteen! That means that your husband just died a few months ago," he calculated mentally. "You do move fast. Where'd you meet this fiancee of yours then. and how did you find one so swiftly intent on proposing to you?"

"Please," she rolled her eyes. "Have you seen me lately? Not that I look better or anything, but I really hope that I look better than before, but other than that, I seem to have great charisma when it comes to boys. I seem to understand how they work and what they want now."

"You just said that you liked freedom," Sirius said in confusion, or frustration. "Isn't that the reason why we broke up?"

"Let's just say that I like thinking that someone cares about whether I live or die," she smiled blandly. "I want someone who would notice whether I didn't come home. I'm becoming pretty heartless."

"And is this soon-to-be-husband of yours another rich muggle?" Sirius said, upset. It took him many years to get her, and this guy only took a few months before marrying her. It was unfair.

"No, but it's a wealthy wizard that you might know," she swiveled her head. This was starting to annoy him. "A Zabini. The beautiful girl Zabini's older brother, Criso."

"You're marrying a Slytherin?" he scoffed, doubtful of the match. "I'd rather the muggle, really. At least he sounds decent."

"Well, Criso insists on the nuptial to be soon."

"And when did he plan to do it?"

"My third wedding day is in a few hours, actually. I'll be Mrs. Zabini by eleven o'clock later this morning. That was my poorly planned bachelorette party, which I decided to have with random muggle women"

"And you have an engagement that you must not miss tonight? No pun intended. But that's what I heard you saying."

"Yes," she stared up at an intimidating structure which had a high wall and security cameras swiveling around the front of the gate. "This is where I'm headed, actually. I'd prefer that you don't wait, but if you want to, then don't stay here, because some commotion will happen. I'll find you, don't worry. Get away a few streets."

"Why? What are...?" he was astounded, as she looked up at the marvelous house with no lights on, and disappeared around a corner. He ran after and she couldn't be seen anywhere.

Resentment seeping through his heart, he trudged on and hoped that she would come and find him whenever she was done with whatever the hell she was up to these days. He missed something as he continued along the next street though, because if he didn't fail to look up, he would find Lady Alexandra scuttling up the stone wall gracefully, peering down at him and waiting for him to be gone.

Once Sirius disappeared from view, she jumped back down onto the sidewalk, her heels clicking at the impact and threatening to break. She rounded the corner once more toward the imposing gate with the security cameras and erased all the footage that it took with Sirius and her talking with her wand. She entered like a shadow, not using Apparition but pure skill, jumping and waiting while hiding in the shadows.

--

"Did you hear the news today?" James asked Lily at the table in the Order headquarters. They were having their rare couple lunch alone. And Lily was scrambling about, preparing the table for other members who might be coming for lunch. "It's all over the muggle news."

"What is it about?"

"Powerful CEO who sells weapons was found dead today," he informed her. "He was shot cleanly in the head, and maybe it really was murder, but it was too clean. There were no photos of the killer, no videos found, and there were a lot of videocameras in that house, it says. Security guards were up and patrolling, with no one missing their shift, and two were actually guarding in front of the door towards the CEO's room. Not to mention that the guards were still found alive, but the door wide open. Couldn't have been the windows, because it was barred shut and still had a later of dust that the help had missed.

"The police is confounded with everything. The two guards couldn't remember what happened, and how the CEO got shot at all, but they've got fresh bruises on their bodies that resulted from very powerful kicks. It looks like someone Confunded or used the Obliviate Curse on them. I don't believe that any muggle assasin would even keep those two guards alive. This looks like the work of a wizard. What I don't get is why they used a gun. A wand is perfectly capable of doing the job, with less of an investigation for the police and no one suspicious."

"And it would be obvious that it was a Death Eater, if they'd been hit with a Killing Curse," Lily offered, thinking seriously. "But I don't think a Death Eater would want to use a gun. They'd think that muggle ways are beneath them."

"I think someone from the Order is searching if any magical activity has been happening around the place," James said. "This isn't just a few homicides that the Death Eaters did for fun. This was on purpose, and it might not even have anything to do with Death Eaters. It doesn't concern them, muggle weapons."

"New threat already?" Lily looked at the ceiling impatiently. "This one isn't even dead yet, and another one is coming up. One with more precision, looks like. This one has a goal."

Suddenly, the door flung open and in came Sirius with a disgruntled look on his face."I just saw Alex early this morning, just after midnight. She just got married...for the third time! She's now Lady Zabini, because her second marriage to a muggle with a title gave her a title as well."

"You saw her?" Lily looked at him with a little hope in her eyes. "What happened? What did she say?"

Sirius told the story on everything that happened plenty of hours earlier, and how she met up again with him just before three in the morning was starting to hit.

"What did she need to do that you weren't allowed to see?" James asked, sensing the same thing that Sirius had been feeling. He also felt that Alex was hiding something, just by the way that Sirius had explained her mannerisms.

"Beats me," he shrugged, sitting down on the table and helping himself to a few potatoes. "She disappeared before I could followed her."

"Hey, did you see this?" James handed over the muggle newspaper that contained the news that he had just dictated to Lily. It was right on the front page, and a family portrait of the family was right in front of a very familiar looking house...

"That's the same house where we stopped," Sirius observed the picture, and took in the walls, the details on the windows. "That's where I lost her, before she found me again a few hours later, at a park about two miles away."

"That's the house where she disappeared to?" James stood up, a bit anxious to see Alex for himself. Maybe she knew something that had to do with this. "Do you think we can find an audience with the Lady?"

"Don't go starting calling her Lady now," Lily said half-amused, half-irritated.

--

"You will be received by Lady Alexandra shortly," a house elf with a pointed nose and a chin held up high emerged with a cloth similar to a toga draped across his slim frame. "Follow me. She is in the parlor, which is her own personal wing of the house that she insists that she shouldn't be disturbed unless she receives guests she selects."

"This is one pompous house-elf," Sirius whispered to James as they followed the elf through the winding corridors. "Never seen one talk so much with excellent grammar. Remember all those house-elves in Hogwarts? This would be chief if they were so unlucky."

Alex was in her black attire, with her hands held together behind her back, her feet apart on the floor by about a meter and her whole being looking over at the gigantic fireplace. Her back was straight and her body positioned in a sort of military stance. She was in black leather leggings, black heeled boots, and a long sleeved black zipped-up sweater, and she looked anything but a newlywed.

She turned around slowly, and had a cool smile on her face when she faced the three of them. "Hello all."

Sirius couldn't help but stare at her chest. It was pushed up and a lot of prettily tanned cleavage was showing. The zip-up sweater had done its job well, he thought, still staring. While Sirius was entertaining to these thoughts, Lily was a bit too shocked at the appearance of a friend who was more known for being laid-back and mellowness, instead of rigid and disciplined. James couldn't help but admire the evolution of what she was turning into.

"How may I return this rather expected pleasure?" she gazed at Sirius sharply.

"An interview," Lily said, before any of the other two could speak.

"Well, do sit down if you want," she gestured toward the black leather sofas that were a few meters away from the fireplace. It made the three guests squirm, having this new intimidating figure standing over them with measured steps and unclear intentions. "I'l give the entire truth of anything you ask, the entire truth of which I find it safe to offer."

"What happened to you?" Lily's voice quivered uncontrollably.

"I assume that Sirius has explained all that I have told him to you two, so I don't think I need to repeat myself," she said boredly, giving them a view of her back as she turned for the fireplace again. "I don't like repeating myself, as you know, Lils."

"Fine, we'll go on to business," James said, seeing that asking on her personal life won't do them any good. Alex wasn't known to dwell on the past, and it seemed as if that part of her hadn't changed. "Have you seen this?"

James threw the muggle newspaper on the coffee table in front of the sofa. The newspaper slid along the smooth black wood and was caught in her slim fingers. She took a look at the front page and gave a humorless smile which followed with a chuckle. "Ah, Mr. CEO, or as I like to call him, Mr. Target."

"Mr. Target?" James furrowed his brows. "But his name is Henry Blumentritt."

"It speaks literally and figuratively in this case," she said in her soft voice. "I call all of these people Target, but it just so happened that Mr. Blumentritt's real name is Horatio Target. But, aside from that fact, I don't recognize names, not when they don't deserve to be recognized."

"How do you know Blumentritt?" asked Sirius. "We stopped at his house a few days ago, remember that? That's why we decided to call on you today. They think that you might know something about this. Maybe you saw someone that night..."

"As I said, his name is Target," she said in a dangerously soft tone. "He's not Horatio Target to me. He really is just Target. And, now that I think of it, I think it was against my better judgment to have given you the chance to know me again that night. I guess it softened my heart, seeing a lover who lived. I shouldn't have let you come with me. I should've known that you would end up reporting to these two."

Lily was on the verge of tears. It was as if friendship had completely vanished and a cold acquaintanceship now took place. "We were just happy to know that you were back," she choked. "I thought that you cared enough to tell us if you ever came back!"

"You don't need to shout," said the other girl with a sympathetic eye. "But I guess you can look at me that way. I'm not used to be surrounded by people who genuinely care anymore, with all the things going on in China. You really, really have to succeed there. Everyone is just...competition. No time for friends."

"So," James moved on, trying to get her to say anything about the Blumentritt death. "Did you see anyone that night?"

"Of course. I saw Sirius, and a couple of guards."

"Guards?" Sirius said in surprise. "There hadn't been any guards outside."

"But there were a lot inside, I assure you."

"How would you even know that...?"

"...unless you've been inside?" James finished.

She rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm a hundred times more subtle than this, and I remember you lot being fifty times smarter than you're acting now. You don't even need Veritaserum. I'm giving it all away, which is strange, because it's not in my nature to trust anyone anymore."

"You killed Blumentritt?" Lily felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "No. It can't be. You're...you're too good, too...too..."

"I'm too what?" she smiled that smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm too innocent, too pure? Well, in some aspects, maybe I am. I purify the world, if that makes you feel better?"

"But why did you kill him?"

"I was hired to kill him."

"You're an assassin now?"

"A very rich one, since I'm very expensive to hire. I don't give my services unless I find it an absolutely plausible excuse to dispose of them. I'm a picky assassin, I'll give that, and I'm the best at what I do. You three are the only ones who I've given a confession to, and will live. Simply put, I guess my heart trusts you."

"What did he do?" James said, not even disgusted at what she had said. Everything she did seemed to have a cause, and she did nothing without other people benefiting from it.

"He was exporting heroin into the States," she explained. "He's been consistently unfaithful to his wife, and you all know how much I detest cheaters. He was selling weapons to both sides of any war, and he had a lot of several people killed in his younger days. His dad was a mafia boss, if I'm not mistaken. That's why he had to change his name, for security measures, when he moved to Europe. Oh, the list of his wrongdoings is endless. Can we not talk about it? It makes me want to kill him again."

"But why use a gun?" they wondered together.

"A gun gives me satisfaction that a wand cannot. And besides, using an Unforgivable Curse will bring me a ticket to Azkaban, so I use a gun as a loophole in the wizarding world. I don't believe that muggles can catch me. As I said, I'm the best and the most undetectable, because they don't have an effect on our world. I've erased all pictures and videos that have access to me in the muggle world. No piece of data can be found on me, and people who hire me only know me because of ear-to-ear gossip. If anything gets too out of hand and a lot know who I am, that is easily remedied by erasing their memories."

"How did you even get into this profession?" Lily still couldn't grasp the concept that her best friend was an assassin, and a highly recommended one by the looks of it.

"You know, I've already said too much. Normally, I would have to rid of you if you weren't my friends," she said, a bit of annoyance flickering on her face, a first sign of emotion that ever lingered. "Beijing opens many doors. Some good, some bad, and I happened to come upon this one accidentally. Don't ask me to recall, since I can remember it only feebly myself. I just remember rounding a load of medals for Fleiku and someone asking on how she could contact me. Next thing I know, I'm being primped up for killing someone, and everything being explained to me. My first Target was a wizard, and that was the only time that I failed. I wouldn't use the Killing Curse, and I never will. But it got me to move on to muggles, which seemed to be a bit more brutal than wizards could be, to right their world.

"Usually, we don't usually need data for the person we're about to kill. Assassins take what they're given and do it without questions. As long as it keeps the money rolling, it's all right. I have the luxury of choosing my Targets though, and I ask why I need to give them my services. If I see it fit, then I accept, and if I don't, I erase their memories."

"How come you didn't kill those guards?" James kept the answers flowing, wanting to understand more for his benefit than for the Order's. He was sure that he won't utter a word of this outside. He didn't know why, but he valued her trust and friendship, for some reason.

"They're not my Target, so why do I need to kill someone who I'm not being hired to kill?" she said simply. "I don't kill because I want to. I kill those people because I find genuine evil in them, the kind of people who will ask other people to kill fathers and mothers of people who don't see eye to eye with them. The people I dispose of usually have maximum security, top weapons and are extremely wealthy, so yes, even if I am expensive, I am worth it, especially if you want a Target dead on a certain deadline."

"Isn't your conscience bothered?" Lily asked uneasily. "Isn't your soul being ripped apart by all those dead people done by your hands?"

"If it's for the better of the world, then why should my soul be ripped?" she sat down for the first time. "If it's not for selfish reasons because of revenge then why should I have a bothered conscience? It's not my hands tainted with blood, but in the hands of the people who employ me. I didn't ask for them to get killed, so it's their soul being ripped, not mine. I'm strictly professional when I take on an assignment, and it's just a job for the better of the world, the muggle world, for my part. How is it different from what you three are doing?"

"I guess that's one way to look at it," Lily said thoughtfully.

"How'd you get all smart-ass, huh?" James teased.

"Top of Philosophy, remember?" she smiled grimly, this time, the humor almost reaching her eyes this time. "There are just some things that Hogwarts doesn't teach. That's why people seem to be divided into good and evil. They never seem to make a compromise and meet at the middle. Balance is the key to success. I never got caught, and I'm very careful, but I know how to live at least once in a while. That's one thing that the Dark Lord never learned, compromise. He wants too much of just one thing and never seeing the results as a whole."

"Wait," Sirius just remembered something. "Did your second husband die because he was assassinated because of you?"

She looked over and shook her head. "Ralph was a successful businessman, and his competition found it was better if he wouldn't live. The assassin that killed him that night was probably also counting on me home, and not over at Spain doing an assignment of my own. Of course, the assassin didn't know that I was also one, and when I got home that night, he expected to kill me easily. It was a reversal and after a few...physical fights, I shot him messily, making sure that he would just be able to scramble out but bleed to death, and put the gun in Ralph's hand and his finger on the trigger, to make it look like it was just self-defense. I had to go back to Spain so that it would be my cover."

"There are really no loopholes to these things you do?" Sirius probed his mind on possible ways on which she could have got caught.

"That's the perk of being a wizarding assassin for muggles, you can erase their minds and it'll seem like nothing happened. Muggles are violent, I tell you. You have no idea how many want each other killed but are too lazy and too cowardly to do it on their own."

"Lady Alexandra," the pompous house-elf skipped in, with a letter on a silver tray on his hand hish above his head. "Someone has sent over a letter for you, mistress."

"Thank you, Perry," she said, taking the letter and opening it. She read the contents and closed her eyes for a few seconds, with a humorless smile on her face, quite unlike the smile that she had been giving for the past hour. "I am destined to live as a widow. Criso has died at the hand of the Dark Lord. Bad timing, I think. Some mission was failed and Criso was in the room at the time, and so, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named vented by killing a few in the vicinity and one Kiling Curse had not missed Criso. His sister informed me just now."

"Wow, it's like your life is a drama or something," Lily couldn't feel sympathy, because Criso Zabini wasn't exactly the friendliest of people, and neither was his sister. "Did you love him?"

"Do you see me crying?" was her answer.

"Is that why you wear black all the time?" Sirius asked politely. "Because death always surrounded by you, and because you just lost two husbands in less than two years?"

"Ever the inquisitive observer," she grinned brilliantly, and it took them off-guard. "Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it. But it's also because I've never forgotten what happened to my mother. And I kill those Targets because they've also killed people like my mother with the people they hire. I can't stand that."

"Anyway," she stood up, signalling that their interview was over. "I trust you all to keep your traps shut if you don't want to end up dead. Criso's sister will be here in a few to see to all the will and testaments to make sure that I haven't tampered with them and that they're real. Perry will escort you out, if you don't mind."

Lily and James started toward the door and followed Perry out, who suddenly appeared at the door as Alex said his name. Sirius, however, remained rooted to the spot, his heart pacing faster than it ever did in his entire life.

"Alex," he started, choking a bit because of his nervousness. She walked toward him and started guiding him out while holding him gently, but firmly on his elbow. "Wait. I need to say something, and I think I have to do this now before another one gets to it."

"What is it?"

"I've let you go once, Alex. And you left, and I wasn't as happy as I was before. You weren't there to calm my nerves with your laugh, or hit me on the head with a broomstick if my head got too big. And then, I saw you again, and I was annoyed when you told me that you were going to get married the next day. The timing was all wrong. I thought we'd be the ones who could hit it off this time, now that I think we're more mature and stuff, and then I lost you again when you became Lady Zabini. So, well, I don't want to regret it again, and--"

"Sirius, get to the point, my former sister-in-law will be here in a matter of minutes," she said impatiently, and a little...longing, although she didn't know what he was about to say.

"I lost you once, and I won't let some other bastard get to you before I do, again," he tried finishing. "So, will you marry me? I know it's not proper conduct to say yes just after your husband died, but I think that they died because they're not the person you're supposed to be with--"

He was cut off with a kiss this time, and they seemed to fit a lot better than before. Their remember me? kis was back, and it tasted better. "Just get out of here and stop babbling and I'll be yours. I've been waiting for that for a long time now. I really thought that you could find me before Ralph came into my life. Thanks for coming."

She ushered him out the door and he stepped out quickly, for the first time, completely fazed.

"What did you just do?" James asked, noting the pinkish tinge that was creeping up his neck. It was the first time that he would see any sort of blush on Sirius' face.

"I think I just got engaged," Sirius said, flustered. "And I think that was the most impulsive thing that I've done in my life so far."

--

"What did she say?" Dumbledore was at the table with the three of them only, the usual glint in his eyes present. "Anything that might be of use to the Order?"

"Oh, same old muggle story," Lily said, concealing the truth, but not telling a lie either. "It's got nothing to do with the Dark Lord. It's just a murder, and I don't think it needs much of our concern."

"It must be very wonderful to have a friend back in your midst," he said, changing the subject, seeming like he found the tale of a murder of a muggle highly dull. "How is Miss Hernandez?"

"Oh, she's not Miss Hernandez anymore," Sirius laughed, lightening things up. "She's actually a to Lady Alexandra something and then Lady Zabini, until she got widowed again."

"And then, she's soon to be Lady Black," James smirked.

"Three marriages already before her twenties?" Dumbledore was amused, with his chuckle coming out of his mouth. "I've never heard of such a student before. Congratulations, Sirius. It must have been a long time, but you got her in the end."

Sirius looked at him incredulously. "How did you...?"

"Moving on," Dumbledore said, easily distracted...or pretended to be. "Is she well? I hope her education in Beijing has not changed her. The Institute there is highly recommended to those who wish to succeed, but sometimes, some morals are diminished by the multiple courses which limit nothing. I don't oppose to limiting a student's thoughts and expanding it into something which may turn into something great, but some of the ideas that they have are so controversial, that some students get killed for continuing their study after school. And Alexandra was brilliant in thinking up a lot of radical things that might have made her a target."

The word 'target' made the hairs on the back of their necks stand, remembering what Alex had just said about her Targets and what she thought about them. It reminded them more that they had to keep her secret life just as it was...a secret.

"No, she's fine," Sirius said for the three of them, while the other two were still recovering from their shock. "The Zabinis have done her well, since she's up at that big house with a personal wing of her own, which is huge. She says that she's got more money than she could ever spend, and that she doesn't even need her inheritance anymore. She's well off, financially."

"And emotionally?" Dumbledore didn't skip anything.

"I think she's been through a lot," Lily said in her defense. "Her mum died, and she had to leave for China when it was supposed to be her last year. And then, she already lost three husbands as of now, so I think if there's anything wrong with her mannerisms or if she's changed a bit, it's completely understandable."

"She has been through things, hasn't she?" the old man said, with a sorrowful tone in his voice. "Deaths have been surrounding her ever since she was sixteen. I think that it is unfair for someone to lose so much love while she is still aware of it. Yes, I do not blame her if she turned out different when she came back. Do you think she will accept if we invite her to dinner tonight? I think all of the Order will dine here, and will be happy to see a new face with stories."

"What?" they stammered.

"But it's so short notice, sir," James thought of excuses to keep her from their former Headmaster's grips. "She's managing Criso Zabini's will and dividing the property accordingly. His family is a distrustful bunch. They don't seem to think that she'd do everything as said in the will. It's not like she needs more money and things. And who knows what else she's up to."

"Exactly my point, dear boy," Dumbledore said. "We must keep her from what she's up to tonight. Let's have her as a guest and feel love for the first time in three years."

--

"Yeah, and then a classmate of mine 'accidentally' put his robes on fire," Alex was almost choking on her spaghetti as she laughed while telling her story. The whole table was roaring with laughter, a feat which hadn't been done for a long time. "A transfigured kangaroo hopped on the bench and tried to put it out, and then knocked him over and it kept jumping in his head!"

"We should have invited you over a long time ago," Dumbledore laughed along with them, smiling happily.

Lily, James and Sirius were astonishied at how Alex had come back to her old self just after a mere twenty seconds at the table. Dumbledore had a strange way of bringing out the real person inside to come out. "And I have this other one too! I had this stalker over there...I forgot his name. But one night, when I was getting back to my dorm after Warcraft, he snuck up behind me. I expected him to do something vile and revolting, but he knelt down and was screaming manically, and I was shouting and screaming, and running. When I got back to the dorm, I looked down at my trainers and realized that he managed to take my socks without taking off my shoes! I think he got a complete collection of clothes he stole from me. I think he even snuck in for a few knickers of mine!"

This was completely against manners, especially if you were saying knickers in front of your old headmaster, but that was what was charming about Alex. She made the most outrageous things look like it was a normal thing that happened.

"And you enjoyed Beijing very well?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not because you're here or anything," she said conspiratorially, although the whole table could hear every word that she was saying. "But Hogwarts was where I found real friends, and I don't think that Beijing could offer me that same thing, not when I was just a year there."

"We're glad to have you back in the country," someone said from across the table. "You're a laugh. You can come for dinner anytime. Merlin knows that we need a good laugh every now and then."

"You don't want to join up?" another said from beside her. She looked mortified.

"I...I'm too busy to be involved in these things. It's not that I'm scared. Surely I would do anything for the good of everyone, but...it's not for me. The Order of the Phoenix is not something that I think will suit me very well. I have my own methods in improving the world, and not just England."

The next day, Alex was eating breakfast at the table, after having slept over at headquarters that night. Sirius trotted in and brought in a muggle newspaper. She looked at it and grabbed it before he could even take a look at it while sipping his coffee.

"What?" he said in irritation. "You don't just go grabbing things, all right? I don't care if you've been in Beijing or that you're a professional assasin, but you have to have your manners."

"Shush," she said, reading through the article. "This was where I was supposed to have an assignment last night, but I had to postpone it when you insisted that I have dinner with the Order. Look: Mass Killings by Unidentified Hooded Men. I wanted to finish off a muggle there at this ball, so that I wouldn't have to cover up so much, but it's a good thing that I didn't. I may be a good assassin, and a good fighter, but on my own against many Death Eaters, I don't stand a chance. If Dumbledore didn't invite me, you'd probably find me one of those people dead."

A memory of what Dumbledore had said came back into Sirius' mind. "He said, 'We must keep her from what she's up to tonight'. It's as if he knew what you were going to do. It's like he predicted that this would happen."

"If that's what you think, then he just saved my hide."

"Speaking of your hide," Sirius smirked a bit and she stared back coldly. "I've got a proper ring to propose with, so that we could put it on the hide of your finger."

He took out a thin ring, slender, and yet glinting, with a small flashing diamond on top. It wasn't humongous or massively impressive, but he knew that it was just the way that she wanted it. She let him put it onto her wedding ring finger as he took out her useless wedding ring that Criso gave that was ten times more impressve than the ring that he had given. She looked at it rather pensively.

"What, seconds thoughts?" he grinned confidently. "Think I might end up on my death bed as well?"

"You might not like who I turned out to be," she confessed. "I don't give my full attention, you see. This...thing of mine is kind of a really good hobby that distracts me from certain pain that I want so badly to remove. And it distracted me from the knowledge that my husband at the time didn't own my love. I think it's unfair for you. I won't be as attentive as I was, not that I was attentive to start with."

"Oh yes," she remembered something and held her hand out, like she was meeting him for the first time and wanted to shake his hand. "I'm Zeta. That' what my clients know me as."

He gaped at her for a few seconds before bringing himself back to the present. "Zeta, huh? No wonder you don't get caught. Even your name's fake."

"You didn't expect me to pass around my real name as someone who kills people for a living. I don't intend for my name to scare people. I don't plan to be a Lord Voldemort. That would allow them to research and examine, and if the muggles were smart and observant enough, they would find out about our world, and that is the least bit desired."

"So, is Zeta better in bed than Alex was three years ago?"

"Say one more word about sex and I will split all your fingers in half within a second. I guarantee that I can do that, just as I can remove life from world in a matter of moments."

"I think you lost sense of humor when Zeta got into your life," he pretended to grumble. She wasn't denying anything, nor was she confirming. "Why can't I talk about it?"

"Because that's the only thing that my professor in Philosophy refuses to discuss. I have no idea why, but she doesn't want to be asked about it, and she won't let us voice our opinions. I think that she thinks that it's a lack of refinement and she's from one of those ancient descendants of Chinese aristocrats, so at least she has good breeding."

"Maybe she doesn't want to share secrets that'll make her students want to go around humping each other," he snickered.

"And it's not even something one should discuss with teachers," she shuddered at the thought. "If you guys thought that talking about a boy stealing my knickers was uncomfortable when it came to Dumbledore, then it would be equally embarrassing to talk about making love with any other professor. Imagine talking about it with Dumbledore. Of course it was right for my professor to not want to talk about it. It's kind of too personal."

There was really something very different about her, and he still felt as if she was hiding something from him, although he didn't want to voice it out in case she might think he was paranoid. "How many have you assassinated?" Sirius didn't want to say kill, since that made her seem like a maniac with a knife who sliced at people at random, and he didn't think that murder was the right word either, since, as she put it, she wasn't exactly the one killing them, but other people only using her as an instrument for murder.

"Less than thirty," she said truthfully. "I might seem like I'm always on assignment, but most of the time, I'm away because I study my Target and study the background and everything. I make sure I know the whole story and the whole life. There are a lot of people worth killing out there and a lot of people willing to pay a huge amount of cash to get those people killed. Less than thirty is pretty good and very few, if you know the muggle assassins.

"Now, I think that they've got it bad,and I've got it a lot easier. That's why I try to be as muggle as possible when it comes to my assignments. I try doing a thorough job of it, and give myself a little hard work, so that it's the clients money's worth. The one thing I admire from those muggle assassins is their skill. You can see that they took a lot of training to accomplish where they are today, and it takes a lot of stealth, good aim and a merciless soul, especially those assasins who just about kill anything their ordered to kill.

"I have a wand, and the ability to make them forget things, to make myself invisible, and to do all sorts of things that they can't do. That's why I wanted to work very hard. I know it's only been three years, and I'm still learning, but I've already studied three different languages to start. Japanese, German and French are pretty useful. Chinese is sort of natural for me now, like a second preferable language right after english, so, all I need to master now is those three."

"And it helps you to converse with people from other countries?" he guessed.

"Yeah, that too," she smiled sheepishly. "It was nice being married to Ralph. Muggle amenities are very nice, and you could see how they make up for their lack of wizarding knowledge. I used those electronic things to contact my clients. I put on an Untrackable Charm on it, since apparently, muggles are smart enough to know where you are if you have those tracking device thingies, without the use of magic!"

"Muggles are smart if you give them credit for it," Sirius said, nodding in approval. "It's just that we'v got a lot more power than them, which is why things are the way they are."

"And I could even perform simple magic in front of them, and they'd think it was a good trick. They've got muggles who are on this thing called the telly, and they do things like walk on water, pick the right card from a person when they asked them to choose a card, and then they got to doing things like disappearing and reappearing somewhere else. It's funny to see their view on magic nowadays. We can walk down the street and do it in front of a whole lot of them, and they'd think that we were doing street magic or something. I know one wizard who does it for a living. He lives in the States."

"And he doesn't violate the International Statute of Secrecy?"

"Nah. No one even suspects him as a real wizard, and he told me that he arranged this with their own Ministry, so it's all right with them, as long as he doesn't do any funny business and start doing his tricks on the audience and not taking the spell off them after. He even got consent to use the Imperius Curse for his shows, but there's always an Auror hovering nearby during his shows, just to make sure."

"That was a brilliant idea from him."

"Yeah. And he's got a very big mansion now, and cars. And he doesn't even use those cars or the electronic thingies. They're just in his house for props."

Sirius pondered these new revelations on the changing world. The world seemed so much bigger. He was still trapped in this country, and realized that he hadn't really seen anything other than his home. This was probably the difference he had seen in Alex. She had seen the world, and had gone on her own two feet to see it. She didn't even need her father's money to survive. She was just eighteen, and she'd already been to the U.S., China, and all sorts of other countries he didn't know that she'd already been to. There must have been someplace where she spent those three years.

"You've been to Germany?" he asked in curiosity.

"Twice. In Berlin and in Madgeburg. Both because it was my duty as Ralph's wife."

"France?"

"St. Tropez was lovely. I spent my honeymoon there."

"Mexico?"

"I had a Target there that needed full research."

"Japan?"

"Another Target needed to be done with in Tokyo."

"What about--?"

"I've been to a lot of cities in Japan, okay? I've been to Barcelona, Madrid, Ethiopia, some places in Africa like Libya and Egypt, Thailand, Malaysia, Warsaw, Romania, Australia, Venezuela, Ecuador. Ugh. I don't remember anymore. There are too many of them to remember."

"Will you two ever stop talking?" Lily entered the kitchen, and as always, was closely followed by James. Alex found it very amusing that they seemed to be stuck at the hip. She guessed that Lily was making up for all those years that she didn't realize that she was actually starting to fall for him. If she were probably seventeen, she would've gloated in Lily's face, but alas, she had been in China then, probably fending off dragons or some such thing. "We could hear you bickering two floors up."

"How could you even go to all those countries within that span of time?" James asked, obviously knowing what they were talking about because of their loud voices that Lily had pointed out. "Those are more than a dozen countries, and probably more than twenty cities!"

"All in three years?" Lily forgot her temper and sat down to start helping herself to a few eggs. "Two years, actually, if you're not counting your year in China."

"I didn't say that I was there for more than a week," Alex looked away at the attention. This was going to take some getting used to. She was comfortable being in the shadows, trying to be a wallflower even though her appearance made it somewhat hard for her to simply blend in. "And sometimes, I just have to stay the night in some city where I follow my Target doing some...risky business transactions, I suppose you can call it. What about you guys? What do you do in the Order?"

"Well," they all looked at each other, a bit embarrassed to tell their own stories. It wasn't that they didn't want to tell them, but her secret, exciting life made their lives look pretty dull. Their stories might just bore her, and there wasn't any assasinating involved. Maybe a little liaising, but nothing as dramatic as shooting a gun and already having three spouses dead.

"Dumbledore asks us to try to form alliances," Lily started, trying to sound intelligent and daring. "The problem is that there aren't a lot of people who want to join up, not when You-Know-Who is at the height of his power right now. It's kind of difficult to find someone you could trust."

"And there's a sort of muggle protection that Dumbledore wants," James added. "He assigns us to put up enchantments that might hold off a few Death Eaters. The enchantments really aren't very strong and absolute, but that'll give time enough to stall and save their lives."

"He doesn't assign us much to a lot of very difficult things," Sirius admitted. "But it's something to do, and there's not really a lot to do when the other side is trying to hide every plan from the Order."

"Some Death Eaters may be a load of idiots," said Alex. "But their boss ain't. That's one scrap you all are in. No leads at all?"

"Dumbledore has the older wizards to do those," Lily shrugged. "Mostly the Aurors and the people that he trusts the most. I think he's thinking of putting out a spy, but he can't think of anyone who the other side will trust and won't betray us."

Just then, Alex looked at her watch and stood up. Startled at the abrupt movement, Lily flinched from her seat and was on her feet as well. "I'm sorry," Alex started. "But I have other engagements to attend to. Thank you very much for admiting me into your homage for tonight. You know how to get to me, so I will see you, probably in a week's time."

Lily and James looked at each other, perplexed.

--

A/N-Okay. I am finally finished! Okay, this just revolved a lot about Sirius and Alex, which I'm suspecting this story is turning out to be. And it is so weird. Grr. I want to put in more Remus and Peter, and more Lily and James! Maybe the next chapter. Reviews! P.S. I skipped their seventh year to avoid monotony in the story.


	17. In Progress

To those who have been loyally anticipating this story even with my inconsistent updates, thank you. I'm sorry that it's been taking me so long to continue this, but I've actually already written it and was about to post it when my laptop crashed. Ehm...I'll be thinking up a better way to end it and it'll take time to write this last chapter.

I hope you're not fed up with my laziness and busyness. The last chapter will be up soon, and this favorite fanfic oof mine among all the stories (mostly unfinished) that I've created can have its well-derserved finale. Please don't lose patience with me. I thrive in your support.

Can't wait for the seventh Potter movie to be out!


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